IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


Li  1^8     |2.5 

1-4    il.6 


<^ 


'n 


>:> 


/^ 


'^r^ 
^ 


w 


'/ 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


93  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


^. 


'^ 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m^thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagie 


□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 


D 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pellicul^e 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 


□    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pelliculdes 

r~l/Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
I  M    Pages  d6color6es,  tachet^es  ou  piqudes 

□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 


D 


Colourei  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


r~y  Showthrough/ 
LJll    Transparence 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


n 


J 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documants 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int^rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'un^  r«stauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6td  filmdes. 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplimentaires; 


Various  pagings. 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  marorial/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 


D 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


r~~Y  Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
'      I    slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  filmies  d  nouveau  de  facon  ck 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu^  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


^ 

12X 


16X 


aox 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  hes  been  reproduced  thenkt 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Netionei  Librery  of  Canede 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  qusiity 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —»- (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


L'exemplaire  film6  f ut  reproduit  grflce  A  la 
g4n6rositA  de: 

BibliothAque  nationale  du  Canada 


Las  images  suivantes  ont  4t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetA  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  film6s  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  fiimis  en  commengant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
derniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  lai'ge  to  be 
entirely  included  In  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
muthod: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  ciichd,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mithode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

s 


.^" 


THE 


LIFE    AND   TIMES 


Of 


SIR  WILLIAM  TOHNSON,  BAET., 


«r 


/^^"iRflJ  !  .yft:.::!* ■  0TC)iM«i; 


■"•TOT..  I. 


ALBANY : 
J   MlJK^'FLli,  78  STATE  STREET 


s 


k. 


THE 


-,rO 


LIFE    AND    TIMES      -^ 


or 


SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART., 


BT 


'..h'lj 


WILLIAM  L.  STONE.     ^» 


^u.'iT  wr../  its' r-;hsrfi!  ,,Tv.iri*i'^<* 

VOL.  I. 

■■••  its'*',  .,        ....  "    *  . 


ALBANY : 

J.  MUNSELL,  78  STATE  STREET 

1865. 


V.I 

?190 

• 

-  *                                    ' 

\-{       4ttt 

^7 

^ 

^     1  ■ 

'  * 

• 

■\                      Entered  ■cqordlng  to  Act  of  Congress  In  the  year  1864,                    W 

By  WiujAM  L.  Stonk, 

In  the  Oerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 

Southern  District  of  New  York. 

■  "    •    ~                                       . '                       .                                            ■■'  '- 

\ 


■:^' 


-'\ 


i   >. 


■■    i  .i 


¥i'M. 


1  i 


i:M:'  f'A  i:y^: 


Cii     ■>'  '     ( 


..  f 


^.-    f-.. 


THE  MEMORY     v?     i    ^  >,      i;.^;,, 


OF  TBI 


vti':,.;     Uii^      .li^-^/t    ,>?^^v-  ;■ 


» f  1'    II 


se  ■,: 


*ii.i  !* ;.    .K.'>A;>.t*MK.r.     '.ti 


LATE  WILLIAM  L.   STONE,  ESQ., 


i  .■ 


^V^-'i'^'.'     -f^^rtt 


-l^,i''-/''.""v.'vA-ii     ^"^      <.-:!;T""' 


:  ■-■^v*^!:  ^  i«fW     ^,. ■.*;:;:„, 


NEW  YORK  CITY, 


MA.WHS   ( 


i  11 


)  . 


I' 


THIS   WOBK  18    AFFKOTIONATKLY  IN80BIBBD,    BT  HIS   SON, 

.v«^   '   -  THE    AUTHOR.  ij    jv 


r^'-    i' 


-. t  '    !»'*  ■ 


tsf 'l;'  ,•-•■ 


'»      ~     'M 


!  I  •"; 


.t        i 


U       .'I 


'<    U»  f-!;; .  ^ 


:--n;i-;  • 


.;  I'lii;  u;ij'Ji"u  <■.   ■■';au|  'fvi 


.)!»■. 


i  '    »jJ  ■",()i-(:ii.     .t 


■M:i 


)    .!!:.■ 


PREFACE. 


■;r 


It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  my  father,  the 
late  William  L.  Stone,  Esq.,  comiucnced  a  hiatory  of 
the  Life  and  Times  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  Bart. 
He  had  employed  several  years  in  collecting  the  ma- 
terials for  this  work,  and  had  written  the  first  seven 
chapters  of  it,  when  death  cut  short  his  labors  in  1844. 
Esteeming  it  a  sacred  duty,  I  have  completed  the 
work ;  and  in  so  doing,  have  endeavored  to  carry  out, 
as  far  as  possible,  his  original  design,  'xiie  result  is 
before  the  reader.      «  •  ■        ^     f 

Perhaps  the  character  of  no  man  prominent  in  our 
colonial  history  has  been  less  understood,  and  less 
fairly  judged,  than  that  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  Bart. 
His  death  occurred  just  on  the  eve  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war ;  and  the  troublous  times  which  followed,  and 
the  imme«Iv?J^  removal  of  his  private  papers,  by  his 
son.  Sir  John  Johnson,  into  Canada,  prevented  any 
trustworthy  estimate  either  of  the  man  or  of  his  ser- 
vices. As  a  natural  consequence,  the  innumerable 
wild  and  improbable  traditions  afloat  concerning  him, 
have  been  eagerly  seized  and  believed  as  veritable 
history.  It  was  therefore  evident,  that  until  access 
wuld  be  had  to  his  papers  and  private  correspondence, 


▼1  PREFACE. 

it  would  be  impossible  to  prepare  a  faithful  and  accu- 
rate biography  of  him.  After  years  of  search,  my 
father  procured  from  the  Johnson  family  in  Eng- 
land, and  from  various  other  sources,  a  large  portion 
of  Sir  Will.am's  manuscripts,  which,  with  the  collec- 
tion of  the  Johnson  MSS.  presented  to  the  New  York 
State  Library  by  General  John  Tayler  Cooper,  amounts 
to  more  than  seven  thousand  letters  and  documents. 
Although  many  letters  are  evidently  lost,  yet  enough 
remain  to  answer  the  purpose  of  the  present  work ; 
while  the  original  records  of  Indian  treaties  and  con- 
ferences, of  which  nearly  all  are  in  existence,  afford  a 
sure  test  of  the  accuracy  of  their  relation. 

Of  this  large  collection,  I  have  read  and  carefully 
compared  each  letter  and  document;  and  throughout 
the  work  have  made  abundant  reference  to  authorities, 
in  order  that  whoever  desires  may  avail  himself  of  the 
same  sources  of  information.  '      '   '     '       ' 

To  Hon.  Jared  Sparks  of  Cambridge,  Hon.  George 
Bancroft  of  New  York,  Francis  Parkman,  Esq.,  of 
Boston,  Professor  Robinson  P.  Dunn  of  Brown  Univer- 
sity, and  Edward  F.  De  Lancey,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  I 
am  indebted  for  counsel  and  material  aid.  My  thanks 
are  also  due  to  Anthony  Lamb,  Esq.,  of  Cambridge, 
Doctor  O'Callaghan  of  Albany,  Dr.  R.  L.  Allen,  Hon. 
Judge  Hay,  and  Daniel  Sheppard,  Esq.  of  Saratoga 
Springs,  for  valuable  suggestions.     Nor  must  I  forget 

to  make  special  mention  of  the  kindness  of  the  Regents 
and  Librarians  of  the  New  York  State  University  and 


PREFACE. 


VU 


Library,  in  affording  rac  every  facility  for  examining 
the  books  and  original  documents  under  their  control. 
To  Thomae  Simons,  Esq.,  of  Albany,  and  Elnathan 
Judson,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  I  am  truly  grateful  for 
a8^istance  in  copying  many  pages  of  manuscript. 

In  conclusion  I  may  add,  that  in  the  preparation  of 
this  work,  I  have  made  no  statement,  and  drawn  no 
inference,  that  I  did  not  conscientiously  believe  was 
fully  warranted  by  the  original  authorities  to  which  I 
have  had  immediate  access. 

WILLIAM  L.  STONE. 

Saratoga  Springe,  January  !«<.,  1865. 


m 


i;i 


ii'<i*»m. 


..j-^t- 


f-,1     V   ll'-'i, 


■r-rii 


Ut^ 


>r>.' 


■.I  t: 


•;  --y  I    ■•:'!ij 


^(    ,'.!::-/■ 


T'  f 


^»i' 


'l.f 


Nj^ 


Ifi.""' 


if;'?' fW    :  lu       .'1   <;'•.;;/!>>     Vi'tr.rf    ijniVi'il'!    IlI    '♦'UM-t.Ji:; 


(.)  it 


;>;    7*;ri 


1    )i.'ji  .1 


VIMO     ,•     1 


.&■{ 


I   ,j:i!J 


iUyJl/J   ii,i   fj' 


Ml,,  !'•  .(  /(•    V. 


I  in 


I   I  .^'r. 


'/  ' 


rn.LA 


\  i 


V   .5- 


t»;-.  i'>v."\S» 


^j^^^^^^,;,yjjt^j>»»(^^ 


,';      t    i;*i;  ■J.-'-  «()  ■  ,1,.; .    ■;■■■ 
'vTf     ■:■,  \rir,u    '  »••    ,.  .»:...'',•-  j    ."' , 
.  :■•  ;i::.'  ■'    <■.  .'M    ■    "  "      ■■■ 


'  'f  ■'<■ 


CONTENTS. 


•>•»" 


•I  j>     I 


CHAPTER  I,  "Y 

'i,^^  .,■,  ■  1634—1741.  ■'■,J1)T!,-. 

Plan  of  the  present  work,  9 — Success  of  the  French  in  winning  the  con- 
fidence of  the  Indians  ;  one  exception  to  this  success,  10 — Inconsidera- 
ble attention  paid  to  the  Five  Nations  by  the  first  three  English  governors, 
11 — Enterprise  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries  during  the  peace  of  1667,  12 — 
Efforts  of  Governor  Dongan  to  thwart  the  influence  of  the  French,  14 — 
Convention  of  tJie  Five  Nations  at  Albany  in  1684,  16— Success  of 
Vongan's  efforts,  16— Neglect  of  Indian  affairs  in  the  colony  of  New 
York  during  the  L^iislerian  administration,  17 — Count  Frontenao  vainly 
attempts  to  detfo..''  the  Confederates  from  the  English  interest,  18— 
Defeat  of  De  Calliers,  Governor  of  Montreal,  by  Major  Peter  Schuyler, 
19 — Colonel  Fletcher  succeeds  Ingoldsby  as  governor.  Ingoldsby  holds 
a  council  witli  the  Five  Nations  at  Albany,  in  1692,  20 — Governor  Fletcher 
takes  Major  Schuyler  into  his  councils,  20 — Count  Frontenao  captures 
two  of  the  Mohawk  caatles,  21 — Schuyler  takes  the  field  in  pursuit.  The 
purpose  of  the  Oneidas  to  make  peace  with  the  French  frustrated  by 
Governor  Fletcher,  who  calls  a  council  of  the  Confederacy  in  July,  1693, 
22 — Count  Frontenao  makes  another  effort  to  subjugate  the  Five  Nations, 
23 — The  Earl  of  Bellamont  succeeds  Governor  Fletcher,  24 — Colonel 
Schuyler  visits  England  in  1710  with  five  Iroquois  chiefs,  26 — Seii-;!oas 
prevented  from  turning  their  arms  against  the  English  by  the  peace  of 
Utrecht  in  1713,  27 — The  Confederates  meditate  hostiliiiea  against  the 
Catawbas  and  Cherokees.  Numerical  strength  of  the  Tuscaroras,  28 — 
They  are  taken  into  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  which  is  henceforth  known 
as  the  Six  Nations,  29 — General  Hunter  goes  back  to  England,  leaving 
Schuyler  at  the  head  of  the  colonial  administration.  The  latter  holds  a 
treaty  with  the  Six  Nations,  29 — Failure  to  expel  the  Jesuit  emissary, 
Joncaire,  from  the  Senecas,  30 — William  Burnet  takes  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment in  17.20.  Endeavors  to  break  up  the  Indian  trade  between  Albany 
and  Montreal,  30 — Passage  of  an  act  for  that  purpose,  31 — Trading  post 
established  at  Oswego  in  1722.  Beneficial  effects  of  Burnet's  policy,  31 
— The  establishment  of  an  English  post  at  Oswego,  a  source  of  great  dis- 
pleasure to  the  French.  Mr.  Burnet  meets  the  Confederates  at  Albany 
11^1727,  32 — Mr.  Montgomery  succeeds  Mr.  Burnet  in  the  government, 
33 — Revival  of  the  trade  between  Albany  and  Montreal,  34 — Death  of 
Montgomery.  Rip  Van  Dam  succeeds  him  for  a  short  period,  34— 'Stormy 
administration  of  Governor  Cosby,  36 — The  Six  Nations  again  resume 
hostilities  again^it  the  southern  Indians.  The  latter  are  defeated  with 
the  loss  of  twelve  hundred  braves,  35 — George  Clarke,  after  a  brief 
struggle  with  Rip  Van  Dam,  is  commissioned  lieutenant  governor,  36 — 
Recommends  to  the  assembly  various  important  measures,  37 — The  elec- 
tion between  Adolphe  Philipse  and  Gevrit  Vau  Horn  contested. 
Eloquence  of  Mr.  Smith  on  the  occasion,  39 — Increased  political  excite- 
ment during  the  years  1738 — 1739.     Reasons  for  it,  41 — Demand  for  a  per- 


— *v», 


M 


CONTENTS. 


ill 


manent  supply  bill.  DisHolution  of  the  assembly.  Temper  of  the  new 
one,  43 — The  governor  yielils  to  the  assembly,  44 — Mr.  Cliirkc  complains 
bitterly  of  the  continued  encroachments  on  the  crown  by  the  people,  ib — ■ 
The  assembly  decline  making  an  appropriation  for  rebuilding  the  chapel 
among  the  Mohawks.  47— War  declared  against  Spain,  47 — Grand  council 
of  the  Confederacy  held  at  Albany  by  thq  lieutenant  governor  in  1741. 
Satisfactory  result,  51 — The  famous  negro  plot.  Incidents  connected 
-ffith  it,  62. 

CHAPTER  II.     ;  )     '^ 
1742—1744. 

Prominence  of  Sir  Wiiliam  Johnson  in  the  colonial  annals  of  the  United 
States.  His  life  and  character  hitherto  but  imperfectly  understood,  of) — 
Family  and  descent.  His  uncle  Sir  Peter  Warren,  57 — Marriage  of  Sir 
Peter  Warren.  Birth  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  69 — Arrival  in  America, 
60 — Takes  charge  of  his  uncle's  estate  in  the  Mohawk  valley,  and  keeps 
a  couutry  store.  Means  of  both  uncle  and  nephew,  at  this  time,  small, 
60 — Receives  advice  from  his  uncle,  61 — His  stylo  of  living.  Description 
of  his  person.  His  success  in  winning  the  contidenco  and  affection  of 
the  Mohawks,  64 — Proposes  to  erect  a  saw  mill.  His  education,  C5 — 
Difficulty  in  fixing  the  exact  date  of  his  marriage.  Character  of  his  wife, 
Catharine  Weisenberg,  66 — the  Six  Nations  in  1742,  send  a  large  delega- 
tion to  Philadelphia.  Its  object,  66 — Proceedings  of  the  council,  68 — 
Tact  of  Lieutenant  Governor  Thomas,  69 — Interesting  historical  incident 
during  the  sitting  of  the  council,  71 — Complaint  made  by  the  Indians 
against  the  governor  and  people  of  Maryland.  Misunderstood  on  the 
part  of  Virginia,  73 — A  party  of  Indians  invade  the  county  of  Augusta, 
and  kill  several  Virginians.  Correspondence  between  Lieutenant 
Governor  Goooh  and  Lieutenant  Governor  Clarke  in  relation  to  it,  73 — 
Jacobus  Bleecker  sent  to  Onondaga  by  the  Indian  oommissioners,  74 — 
Another  embassy  sent  to  Onondaga.  Result  of  these  missions,  76 — 
'Arrival  of  Admiral  George  Clinton  as  the  successor  of  Lieutenant 
Governor  Clarke,  77 — Opening  speech  of  the  new  governor  probably 
moulded  by  Chief  Justice  De  Lancey.  Tone  of  the  speech,  79 — Sketch 
of  Chief  Justice  De  Lancey,  59 — De  Lancey,  in  behalf  of  the  assembly, 
draws  up  an  humble  address,  80 — The  governor  signs  all  the  bills  pre- 
sented to  him,  81 — Removal  of  Mr.  Johnson  from  the  south  to  the  north 
side  of  the  Mohawk.  Opens  a  correspondence  on  his  own  account  with 
the  opulent  house  of  Sir  William  Baker  &  Co.,  London.  Grows  iu  the 
public  estimation,  81 — Lays  the  foundation  of  his  future  prosperity  on  the 
basis  of  honorable  dealing,  82 — The  government  of  New  York  authorized 
to  issue  letters  of  marque  against  Spain,  82 — Activity  of  Captain  Warren 
at  sea.  Captures  a  privateer  and  is  promoted,  86 — Clinton  communicates 
to  the  assembly  advices  of  the  intended  invasion  of  England  by  "a  Popish 
Pretender,"  87 — Holds  a  conference  with  the  Six  Nations  at  Albany,  88. 
— Expresses  apprehensions  for  the  post  at  Oswego,  89 — Lays  before  his 
council  a  communication  from  the  commandant  at  Oswego,  in  relation  to 
the  designs  of  the  French  against  that  post,  90 — Grand  Indian  council  at 
Lancaster  in  1744.     Its  proceedings  in  detail,  91 — 109. 

CHAPTER  in. 

1744—1745. 

Repose  of  the  colonies  under  the  administration  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole, 
broken  by  the  declaration  of  war  against  France.  Attempts  of  the 
French  upon  Acadia  and  Placentia,  110 — Declaration  of  hostilities 
announced  to  the  general  assembly  by  Clinton.  Strong  measures  urged 
for  the  protection  of  the  colony  and  city  of  New  York,  111.  The  build- 
ing  of  a  strong  fort  in  the  vicinity  of  Crown  Point  recommended,  112 — 
Cowardly  retreat  of  the  English  traders  from  Oswego.     The  house  pledge 


CONTENTS. 


VU 


.3  ways  and  means  for  putting  the  colony  in  a  posture  of  defence,  113 — 
pie  Caughnawagas  take  up  the  hatchet  against  the  English,  114 — Special 
:illowaiices  voted  for  the  defence  of  Albany  and  Schenectady,  116 — The 
French  again  active  in  their  endeavors  to  win  the  Six  Nations  from  the 
English,  IIG — Mr.  Bleecker  is  despatched  into  the  Seneca  country. 
Returns  and  reports  favorably.  Another  report  from  a  French  deserter, 
117 — Arrest  and  discharge  of  David  Leisberger  and  Chrislian  Frederick 
Post.  Governor  Shirley  proposes  the  capture  of  Louisburg,  118 — 
Description  of  the  harbor  and  defences  of  Louisburg,  119. — Shirley  com- 
•  municates  his  plan  to  the  ministry,  120 — Circular  letters  sent  to  the 
several  colonial  governors,  122 — Lukewarm  reception  of  the  scheme  by 
New  York,  its  cause,  122 — Conduct  of  the  assembly,  and  its  dissolution 
by  the  governor,  122 — 128 — Preparations  of  Shirley  for  the  capture  of 
Cape  Breton,  129 — The  command  of  the  land  forces  given  to  Colonel 
William  Pepperell,  130 — Circumstances  which  favored  the  undertaking, 
132 — Unfitness  of  Shirley  to  direct  the  conduct  of  the  expedition,  133 — 
Commodore  Warren  assumes  command  of  the  naval  forces,  136 — Progress 
of  the  seige,  138 — Success  of  Warren  in  cruizing  off  the  harbor,  142 — 
Surrender  of  the  city,  140 — The  Mermaid  despatched  to  England  with 
the  tidings.  Effect  of  the  conquest  in  Europe  and  America,  148 — Honor- 
able rewards  to  the  master  spirits  of  the  expedition,  149 — Unwillingness 
01  the  parent  government  to  reimburse  the  colonies  for  their  expenses, 
150 — Efforts  to  detract  from  the  just  fame  of  the  Provincials  defeated, 
161 — Discussion  respecting  the  relative  merits  of  Pepperell  and  Warren, 
156.  .„„.    ,       ,     ■  .  ,    .,,,,. 

'■''■'■■]'  CHAPTER  IV.  '  ^"' 

1745—1746.  "        '  ' 

David  Jones  of  Queens  county,  elected  speaker  of  the  new  assembly,  157 — 
Clinton  urges  upon  the  assembly  the  importance  of  reinforcing  the 
forces  of  Pepperell  and  Warren.  Both  branches  of  the  assembly  respond 
cordially.  Indian  relations  of  the  colony  again  critical,  158 — Dissatis- 
faction among  the  Six  Nations.  Examination  of  .John  Henry  Lydius, 
159 — Animosity  between  the  Mohawks  and  the  people  of  Albany. 
Conrad  Weiser  sent  on  a  friendly  tour  among  the  Six  Nations,  160 — 
Reception  of  Weiser.  Accusations  against  the  Albanians  by  the  Con- 
federates, 161 — The  commissioners  of  Indian  affairs  announce  the 
approach  of  scalping  parties  of  Canadian  Indians.  Barbarities  of  these 
Indians  on  the  frontier  of  New  Hampshire,  162 — Attention  of  the  assem- 
bly called  to  these  outrages.  A  general  council  with  the  Indians  recom- 
mended, 163 — Proceedings  of  the  council.  Speech  of  Hcndrik,  164 — 
Suspicions  of  the  Massachusetts  commissioners,  170 — Clinton  communi- 
cates the  result  of  the  council  to  the  assembly  in  a  special  message,  172 
— Burning  by  the  French  and  Indians  of  the  settlement  at  Saratoga,  173 
— Destruction  of  the  village  of  Hoosick,  174 — Governor  Clinton  reproves 
the  assembly  for  its  indifference,  175 — Communication  from  Colonel 
Philip  Schuyler  laid  before  the  privy  council.  Dissatisfrtction  at  the 
removal  of  the  local  militia  from  the  city,  176 — Prospect  of  a  gloomy 
winter.  Exciting  rumors,  177 — Clinton  asks  for  an  appropriation  to 
build  a  stone  fort  at  the  great  carrying  place  between  Hudson  River  and 
LakeChamplain,  178 — Doubtful  position  assumed  by  tiioConfoderacy,  179. 
The  importance  of  an  alliance  with  New  England  fur  mutual  protection 
appreciated.  Commissioners  appointed  for  that  purpose,  180 — The  ques- 
tion of  parliamentary  law  and  prerogative  before  the  council  and  assem- 
bly, 181 — The  assembly  driven  from  the  city  by  the  small  pox,  182 — Dis- 
cussion of  the  revenue  bill  by  the  council  and  assembly,  183 — The  victory 
with  the  representatives  of  the  people,  185 — Resolution  adopted  directing 
the  erection  of  six  strong  block-houses.  Appropriations  for  other  import- 
ant objeotB,  186 — Clinton  again  asks  for  reinforcements   for  Pepperell 


"~*^=. 


—  ),^ 


,•.1  .,.i^^*4«l■(/»-• 


vni 


CONTENTS. 


and  Warren,  and  is  refused.     Reluotanco  of  the  assembly  to  cottperate 
vith  the  New  England  colonies  not  easily  explained,  18ti. 

CHAPTER  V. 
1740. 
Commencement  of  the  brilliant  public  career  of  Sin  William  Johnson. 
He  erects  a  valuable  flouring  mill.  Builds  an  elegant  stone  mansion, 
and  calls  it  Mount  Johnson.  Becomes  known  to  Governor  Clinton, 
probably  through  the  influence  of  Chief  Justice  Do  Lancey,  187 — His 
commercial  nfi'airs  widely  extended.  Is  engaged  in  shipping  furs  to 
London.  Is  commissioned  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  Albany  county. 
Begins  to  participate  largely  in  the  political  concerns  of  the  colony,  as 
shown  by  the  return  of  Mr.  Holland  to  the  assembly  from  Schuuoctady, 
188 — The  exact  date  of  his  wife's  decease  not  known.  IJirtii  of  a  sou — 
John  Johnson,  and  of  two  daughters — Mary  and  Nancy,  is  rapidly 
gaining  an  ascendency  over  the  Iroquois  (-"onfederacy.  Manu.seript  letter 
from  James  Wilson  to  Johnson,  189 — Comfirehensive  views  of  Shirley, 
190 — Communicates  them  to  the  government  of  >(ew  York,  iiil — Tlie 
duke  of  Newcastle's  letter  laid  before  the  council,  VJi'I — Joyful  reception 
of  these  communications  by  the  legislatnre  and  people,  198 — Inaction 
of  the  parent  government,  196 — Expedition  against  Quebec  abandoned, 
198 — Activity  of  the  French,  199 — Alarm  of  the  North  American  seaports 
on  the  approach  of  D'Anville's  fleet,  200 — Quarrel  of  Cliief  Justice  De 
Lancey  with  Governor  Clinton.  Causes  which  led  to  it,  201 — Governer 
Clinton  arrives  in  Albany  to  meet  the  Six  Nations.  Finds  very  few 
Indians  in  attendance,  202 — Rumors  of  a  French  expedition  against 
Schenectady  communicated  to  Clinton  by  Johnson.  204 — Growing  dis- 
affection of  the  Six  Nations,  205 — The  .lesuits  succeed  in  g.aitiing  over 
some  of  the  chiefs,  206 — Mr.  Clinton  avails  himself,  in  the  Indian 
department,  of  the  services  of  Mr.  Johnson.  Qualifications  of  the  latter 
for  this  branch  of  the  public  service,  207 — Mr.  Johnson  exerts  himself 
successfully  in  winning  back  the  friendship  of  the  Confederates.  Pre- 
vails upon  them  to  attend  the  council,  208 — Is  adopted  by  the  Mohawks, 
and  invested  with  the  rank  of  a  war  chief,  2U'J — Receives  from  tlie 
Mohawks  an  Indian  name.  Enters  Albany  at  the  head  of  a  party  of 
Mohawks,  dressed  and  painted  as  a  warrior,  210 — Dr.  Colden  opens  the 
council  with  a  speech,  211 — Reply  of  the  Indians,  213 — An  alliiince 
defensive  and  offensive  formed  with  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  210 — 
Astonishing  ignorance  of  Mr.  Clinton  in  relation  to  affairs  in  New  Eng- 
land, 217 — Efforts  of  the  Canadian  governor  to  ncutnilize  Mr.  Clinton's 
proceedings,  218 — The  Caughnawagas,  instigated  by  the  French,  vainly 
attempt  to  dissuade  the  Six  Nations  from  tlieir  recent  alliance,  219 — 
Impossibility  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  from  their  geographical 
position,  remaining  neutral,  219. 

CHAPTER  VL 

174G. 
The  Canadian  Indians  desolate  the  New  En^jland  frontier,  221 — Number 
Four.  Upper  Ashuelet  and  Bernavdstown  at(ii<  l<ed,  222 — Coniniaiid  of 
thepostswest  of  Hoosick  mountain  confided  to  ("aptain  Ephraim  Williams, 
224 — Vaudreuil  invests  Fort  MassacliuHelts,  226 — IJravury  of  the  garri- 
son, 220 — Its  capture,  227 — Remarkable  conduct  of  the  Indians,  228— 
Active  operations  asrainst  Crown  Point  abandoned,  22'.) — Mr.  Jolinson 
directed  to  organize  war  parties  of  Indians  to  harrass  tlie  French 
settlements,  280. — The  preparations  of  the  French  for  the  reconquest 
of  Capo  Breton  prove  abortive,  282 — Disasters  to  D'Anville'.-<  fleet, 
2"3 — Suicide  of  D'Estouriielle,  281 — (lovei-nor  Clinton  renirus  to  New 
York.  Dissatisfaction  with  the  Indian  coinniissiojiers.  The  manage- 
ment of    tiio    Indian  department  devolves   chiefly  upon  Mr.   Johnson, 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


235 — Trouble  between  Governor  Clinton  and  his  assembly,  286 — Henry 
Holland,  by  order  of  Colonel  R  'berts,  breaks  open  the  public  store  houses 
in  Albany,  288 — The  assembly  urged  to  their  opposition  of  the  governor 
by  De  Laueey,  240 — Holland  declared  guilty  of  a  high  inisdenieunor,  241 
— Review  of  Holland's  conduct,  242 — The  Schuylers  take  offence  at  the 
growing  influence  of  Johnson,  248 — Johnson  becomes  contractor  for 
supplying  the  Oswego  gai'rison.  First  step  taken  toward  the  establish- 
ment  of  Kings,  now  Columbia  college,  245 — Mr.  De  Lancey  makes 
another  demonstration  against  his  rival,  Dr.  Colden,  246^John8on  pays 
a  visit  to  Governor  Clinton  in  the  autumn.  Receives  from  the  governor 
the  rank  of  colonel.  Is  recommended  by  Clinton,  through  the  duke  of 
Newcastle,  to  his  majesty's  favor,  247 — The  operations  of  the  New  Eng- 
landers  in  Nova  Scotia  end  disastrously.  Inactivity  of  the  enemy  during 
the  winter,  248. 


CHAPTER  VII, 
1747. 


i-a;::    cm 


Shirley  conceives  the  project  of  a  descent  upon  Crown  Point,  249 — New 
York  deems  the  plan  impracticable,  260 — Active  correspondence  between 
Clinton  and  Johnson  in  relation  to  the  Indian  service,  251 — Exertions  of 
Colonel  Johnson,  264 — Letter  from  Colonel  Johnson  to  Governor  Clinton, 
256 — Enumeration  of  scalps  taken  from  the  enemy,  257 — Attack  on 
Charlestown,  N.  H.,  258 — Raising  of  the  seige,  260 — Rebuilding  of  Fort 
Massachusetts,  261 — Clinton  again  involved  in  controversies  with  his 
legislature,  262 — Letter  from  Clinton  to  Johnson  regarding  the  disloyalty 
of  some  Albanians,  266 — Mutiny  of  the  levies  at  Saratoga,  267— Report 
of  the  committee,  charged  with  the  preparation  of  an  address  to  the 
governor,  273 — The  attention  of  the  as.scmbly  called  to  the  dinaffeotion 
among  the  northern  levies.  Reply  of  the  house,  274 — Movements  of 
Sir  Peter  Warren.  Appointed  second  in  command  under  M.  Anson,  275 
— Is.  promoted  to  the  rank  of  rear  admiral  of  the  white,  277 — Meets 
with  great  success  in  his  cruizes,  and  is  returned  to  parliament,  278. 

.*..-•    'l         ,?•;;     .-iliii-     -CHAPTER    Vm.  1    ^'^V. ,',..,.    -VT^i    ,y  ;;;,,,     : 

1747. 

Military  affairs  in  the  north  in  a  deplorable  condition.  Desertion  of  the 
troops.  Murders  by  the  enemy,  279 — Captain  Chew  defeated  near 
Lake  Champlain  by  M.  Lacose,  and  taken  prisoner.  Schuyler  marches 
to  repel  the  invaders,  280 — The  Six  Nations  complain  to  Schuyler.  Clin- 
ton concerts  measures  with  Schuyler  for  relieving  Oswego.  Governor 
Shirley  meditates  an  attack  upon  Crown  Point,  281 — Clinton  lays  Shir- 
ley's plan  before  the  assembly,  282 — Is  received  coldly,  283 — Activity  of 
the  enemy.  Saratoga  surrendered.  Johnson  writes  to  Clinton,  284 — He 
demands  a  guard  to  escort  the  stores  to  Oswego,  286 — The  assembly 
refuse  to  allow  them,  287 — Letter  from  Clinton  to  Johnson,  288 — High 
estimation  in  which  Johnson  was  held  by  Clinton.  Cause  of  Johnson's 
jealousy  toward  Lydius,  291 — Johnson  returns  from  an  expedition  against 
Crown  Point.  TJie  fort  at  Saratoga  in  danger  of  being  evacuated  through 
want  of  provisions,  292 — More  trouble  between  Clinton  and  the  assem- 
bly, 293 — Colonel  Roberts  directed  to  send  three  companies  to  Saratoga, 
294 — Colonel  Johnson  visits  New  York  to  consult  wilh  the  governor 
respecting  tho  condition  of  the  colony.  His  advice,  295 — Clinton  and 
Shirley  still  cling  to  the  expedition  against  Crown  Point.  The  former 
again  appeals  to  bis  legislature  and  dwells  upon  the  views  of  Johnson, 
296 — The  assembly  respond  coldly,  299 — The  assembly  in  secret  sitting 
attack  Colonel  Johnson.  Reasons  for  this  attack,  8Ul — Clinton  charges 
the  house  with  falsehood,  and  adverts  to  the  services  of  Johnson  in 
terms  of  high  praise,  805 — The  hopes  of  the  colonies  full  to  tiie  ground. 
The  duke  of  Newcastle  orders  Clinton   and  Shirley  to  desist  from  the 


I,:'     I ; 


CONTENTS. 


M 


intended  expedition,  810 — Trouble  with  James  Parlter,  printer  to  the 
assembly,  811 — Clinton  proposes  to  detail  large  bodies  of  the  militia  for 
the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  312 — The  assembly  charge  the  governor 
with  inconsistency,  314 — Clinton  again  involved  in  controverMies  with 
the  assembly  on  the  question  of  prerogative,  815 — He  di!<solves  the 
assembly  much  to  its  surprise,  818 — lleview  of  tho  controversy,  320 — 
Difficulty  between  Commodore  Kuowlos  and  the  citizens  of  Uoatou  on 
the  subject  of  press  gangs.  Shirley's  house  mobbed,  222 — Order 
restored,  225-^Guvernor  Clinton  presses  the  command  of  the  northern 
frontier  upon  Colonel  Johnson.  The  latter  is  entrusted  with  tho  duty  of 
effecting  a  complete  reorganization  of  the  militia.  All  confidence 
reposed  in  him,  826. 

CHAPTER  IX.  .  ' 

1748. 

Prominence  of  Johnson  in  the  affairs  of  the  colony — Accepts  the  command 
of  the  troops  for  the  defence  of  the  frontiers.  Devotes  himself  to  the 
management  of  the  Indian  department.  Becomes  favorably  known  to 
the  colonial  and  British  government.  Employs  as  his  housekeeper,  Mol- 
ly Brant,  327. — Beneficial  effects  of  this  Indian  alliance,  328. — New 
assembly  chosen.  The  governor's  opening  speech  conciliatory.  Arent 
Stevens  succeeds  Mr.  Bleeker,  deceased,  as  government  interpreter  to 
the  Indians,  329. — The  dissolution  of  the  old  assembly  produces  a  better 
state  of  feeling  in  the  new  one.  The  answer  of  the  council  to  the 
governor's  speech  moved  by  De  Lancey,  380 — Resolutions  passed  for 
repairing  the  fortifications  along  the  frontiers.  Robert  Charles  appointed 
agent  for  the  colony,  to  reside  in  London  with  a  salary  of  £200  per  an- 
num, 331 — The  action  of  the  assembly  attributed  to  a  desire  to  supplant 
Clinton  in  the  gubernatorial  chair  by  Sir  Peter  Warren.  AVarren  not  a 
party  to  this  intrigue,  882 — Discontent  of  the  Six  Nations.  Alarming 
intelligence  from  Colonel  Johnson  and  Lieutenant  Liudesay  of  Oswego, 
832 — Colonel  Johnson  directed  by  Clinton  to  make  a  tour  in  the  Indian 
country,  883 — Objects  to  be  attained  by  this  tour,  334 — Johnson  sum- 
mons a  council  of  the  Confederacy  at  Onondaga.  Arrives  at  the  Onon- 
daga castle,  and  meets  with  a  flattering  reception,  335 — Proceedings  of 
Johnson  at  the  council,  836 — Communicates  to  the  Indians,  the  intention 
of  Clinton  to  meet  them  at  Albany,  389 — He  recommends  to  the  governor 
strong  legislative  enactments  to  prevent  the  sale  of  rum  to  the  Indians, 
841 — A  grand  council  of  the  Six  Nations  at  Albany,  long  in  contempla- 
tion by  Clinton  and  Shirley,  341 — Clinton's  efforts  to  second  Shirley's 
plan  for  an  expr^Hion  against  Crown  Point  fruitless,  342 — Complains  to 
the  lords  of  trade  of  the  continued  encroachments  of  the  assembly  upon 
the  crown.  Lays  before  the  assembly  Colonel  Johnson's  report  of  the 
council  at  Onondaga,  348 — Urges  an  immediate  exchange  of  prisoners. 
The  assembly  recommends  the  sending  of  a  flag  of  truce  to  Canada,  344 — 
Colonel  Beekman  prefers  a  charge  against  the  governor,  844 — Important 
tidings  received  from  Europe,  345 — Letter  from  Clinton  to  Johnson, 
announcing  that  preliminaries  of  peace  had  been  signed  at  Aix  la  Cha 
pelle,  846 — Clinton,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Colden,  arrives  in  Albany  lO 
attend  the  grand  council.  Unprecedented  number  of  Indians  present, 
848 — Proceedings  of  the  council  not  important,  349 — Massacre  at  Sche- 
nectady. No  accurate  account  of  it  in  existence,  360 — General  result  of 
the  council  satisfactory,  353 — Heart  rending  tragedy  in  tho  town  of 
Hoosick,  354^The  borders  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  again 
suffer  from  the  enemy,  861 — Narrow  escape  of  Captain  Melvin  and  his 
party,  862 — The  enemy  generally  successful  in  these  border  skirmishes, 
803 — Captain  Eph.  Williams  narrowly  escapes  capture,  804 — Serious 
trouble  among  the  troops  stationed  at  Albany  and  along  the  frontiers. 
The  commisBioners  refuse  to  execute  the  orders  of  the  governor,  365.^ 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


Complains  of  this  in  a  letter  to  Colonel  Johnson,  determines  to  reassert 
the  prerogative  in  the  strongest  terms,  by  bringing  the  supply-bill  to  a 
direct  issue,  366 — The  assembly  refuse  to  grant  it,  868 — Various  succes- 
ses of  the  English  fleet  in  the  West  Indies,  369 — Definite  treaty  of  peace 
signed  at  Aix  la  Chapelle.  End  of  the  old  French  war,  370 — The  Con- 
federates demand  the  release  of  their  braves  in  Canada.  Negotiations 
between  Clinton  and  La  Qalissoni^re  in  relation  to  the  exchange,  371 — 
Embassy  of  M.  Francis  Marie.  Suspicions  of  Johnson,  372 — Mutual 
dissatisfaction  of  all  parties,  373. 


•ifi'* 


I1....:'(S» 


CHAPTER  X. 

1749-1760. 


Johnson  is  entrusted  with  the  transfer  of  the  prisoners.  Success  of  his  nego- 
tiations, 874 — Apprehensions  of  the  Mohawks  artfully  increased  by  La 
Qalissoni^re.  Johnson  writes  Clinton  upon  the  subject.  Reply  of  the 
governor,  876— Johnson  summons  both  of  the  Mohawk  castles  to  a  con- 
ference. Happy  results,  876 — Trouble  between  the  Indians  and  a  few 
Albany  traders.  Proclamation  of  the  governor  in  regard  to  it,  377 — 
General  exchange  of  prisoners  efifeoted,  377 — Remarkable  energy  of 
Colonel  Johnson,  378 — He  thwarts  all  the  plans  of  Galissoni^re  and  his 
priests,  379 — Encroachments  of  the  French  in  Nova  Scotia,  879 — 
Colonel  Johnson  is  appointed  by  the  crown  to  a  seat  in  his  majesty's 
council  for  the  province  of  New  York,  380 — This  appointment,  though 
unsought,  by  no  means  a  surprise,  381 — Wranglings  between  the 
governor  and  his  assembly  continue.  The  post  at  Oswego  in  danger  of 
being  given  up.  The  assembly  dissolved  and  writs  issued  for  a  new  one, 
382 — The  assembly  allow  Colonel  Johnson  part  of  the  debt  due  him  for 
provisioning  the  Oswego  garrison,  383 — Contemptible  conduct  of  the 
assembly  toward  Johnson.  Falsely  charges  him  with  peculation,  884 — 
Resignation  of  Johnson  as  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs.  The  step 
not  entirely  unexpected  by  Clinton,  385. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
;..    1750-1761. 


/ 1  ;;*^   • 


.1    ■iw'.i;,'. 


The  peace  of  Aix  la  Chapelle  received  by  the  colonies  with  strong  feelings 
of  dissatisfaction,  886 — Proves  to  be  a  peace  only  in  name.  Boundaries 
between  the  English  and  French  possessions  left  undetermined,  887 — The 
French  occupy  the  valley  of  the  Ohio.  La  Presentation  founded  by  Rev. 
Abbe  Piquet,  388 — Sagacity  of  Picquet.  La  Presentation  destroyed  by 
Gage  in  1767,  889 — Jean  Coeur,  a  French  emissary,  stirs  up  the  Six  Na- 
tions against  the  Catawbas.  Johnson  advises  Clinton  of  the  fact,  890 — 
Clinton  acting  upon  the  suggestions  of  Johnson,  summons  the  Confed- 
eracy to  meet  the  Catawbas  in  Albany.  Determines  to  have  the  ends  of 
the  council  take  a  wider  scope,  and  asks  the  different  colonial  governors 
to  send  delegates,  891 — J.ohuson  informs  the  Mohawks  of  the  governor's 
intentions.  The  invitation  of  Thomas  Lee  of  Virginia  declined  by  the  Six 
Nations,  392 — Commissioners  present  at  the  council,  393 — The  Six 
Nations  are  grieved  at  the  resi^tnation  of  Colonel  Johnson.  They 
despatch  a  fleet  runner  for  him,  394 — Johnson  arrives  in  Albany  to 
attend  the  council.  Is  requested  by  Clinton  to  continue  in  the  charge  of 
the  Indian  department,  but  peremptorialy  declines,  895 — Is  willing  to 
render  every  assistance  in  an  individual  capacity,  896 — Johnson  takes 
the  oaths  of  of&ce  as  a  councillor.  Clinton  opens  the  council,  896 — 
Reply  of  the  Confederates.  Address  of  Mr.  Bull,  commissioner  from 
South  Carolinia,  897 — Speech  of  the  Catawba  king  to  the  Six  Nations, 
898— Treaty  between  the  Six  Nations  and  the  Catawbas  concluded,  400 — 
Clinton  lays  before  his  council  letters  from  Colonel  Johnson  and  Captain 
Stoddard  of  a  startling  nature.  Designs  of  the  French  upon  Oswego, 
402 — Col  Johnson  tent  do^ru  to  the  house  by  the  council  to  demand  cer- 


1  ;! 


X\\ 


CONTENTS. 


tain  vouchers.  They  are  refused,  408 — Churlish  treatment  of  tlie 
goremor  by  the  house,  404 — Master  stroke  of  policy  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Clinton,  405 — The  French  plan  further  enoroachmenls  upon  the  territory 
of  New  York.  Meditate  the  efitablishnient  of  a  missionary  and  military 
post  at  Uswego.  The  design  frustrated  by  Johnson.  The  oounoil  grant 
him  Onondaga  lake  with  the  land  around  it  for  two  miles  in  width. 
Otherwise  than  this  his  debt  from  the  colony  never  paid,  406. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

1752-1758. 

Dawning  of  a  new  era  in  American  literature,  407 — .Johnson  indulges  in 
literary  pursuits,  and  sends  to  London  for  books,  408 — Takes  special 
Interest  in  the  intellectual  culture  of  the  Mohawk  children.  Becomes  a 
J)rominent  patron  of  the  mission  school  at  Stockbridge,  409 — I'laccs 
Joseph  Brant  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  lilcazer  VVlieelock  at  Lebanon  Ct., 
410 — Closing  years  of  Sir  Peter  Warren.  His  death  announced  to  John- 
son in  a  letter  from  his  brother  Warren  Johnson,  411 — William  Smith 
appointed  to  the  seat  at  the  council  board,  left  vacant  by  Sir  Peter  War- 
ren's decease,  412 — Principal  features  of  the  new  assembly,  413 — Clin- 
ton consults  Colonel  Johnson  in  the  appointment  of  a  new  board  of 
Indian  commissioners,  414 — Fees  of  Chief  Justice  De  Lancey,  415 — Ho 
ceases  his  opposition  to  the  governor,  416 — Diificulty  in  collecting  the 
Oswego  duties  John  De  Peyster  and  Peter  Schuyler  Jr.  charged  wiiii 
peculation.  Johnson  requested  to  sift  the  matter,  416 — Makes  his 
report,  417 — Hostile  Indians  still  hover  along  the  northern  frontier,  A 
party  of  St.  Francis  Indians  surprise  and  capture  John  Stark,  after- 
ward the  hero  of  Bennington,  418 — Clinton's  opening  message  to  the 
assembly,  418 — French  again  active,  419 — Johnson  apprised  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy.  Alarm  of  the  Six  Nations,  420 — Indian  affairs 
sadly  neglected  since  the  resignation  of  Johnson.  King  Hendrik  visits 
Clinton  in  New  York.  Complains  bitterly  of  the  fk-auds  to  which  the 
Indians  were  subjected  in  the  sale  of  their  lands,  421 — Reply  of  tlie 
governor.  Disgust  of  Hendrik,  422 — The  general  assembly  request 
Clinton  to  send  Johnson  to  Onondaga  to  pacify  the  Six  Nations,  424 — 
Johnson  summons  the  Mohawks  to  Mount  Johnson,  425 — Sets  out  on  his 
mission,  426 — ^Conference  at  Onondaga  attended  with  happy  results,  427 — 
Arrival  of  Sir  Danvers  Osborne  as  the  successor  of  Governor  Clinton, 
428 — Strange  conduct  of  the  new  governor.  He  commits  suicide.  Sus- 
picions of  foul  play  clearly  without  foundation,  429 — Mr.  De  Lancey 
takes  the  reins  of  government,  430 — His  opening  message  to  the  assem- 
bly, 481 — Change  in  the  administration  productive  of  one  good  result, 
488— Death  of  (iovernor  Clinton.     His  character,  434. 

CHAPTER  Xm. 

1753-1764. 

Period  reached  when  the  active  public  life  of  Colonel  Johnson  begins, 
436 — Claims  of  England  and  France  to  the  Ohio  valley,  436 — Formation 
of  the  Ohio  company,  437 — Christopher  Gist  sent  to  explore  the  country. 
Commissioners  treat  at  Logstown  with  the  Mingoes  and  Sbawanesc,  438 — 
The  French  call  to  their  aid  the  spiritual  arm,  489 — La  Jonqu^re  seizes 
the  English  traders.  George  Washington  sent  by  Governor  Dinwiddle 
to  remonstrate  with  the  French  commander,  440 — His  reception  by  .St. 
Pierre,  441 — Mr.  De  Lancey  informs  the  assembly  of  the  encroachments 
of  the  French,  441 — Niggardly  spirit  of  the  assembly,  442 — The  lieuten- 
ant governor  answers  the   quibbles  of  the  assembly  and  prorogues  that 

■  body,  444 — Virginia  raises  a  regiment  of  six  hundred  men,  445 — Wasli- 
ington  with  his  troops  reaches  Will's  creek,  446 — The  fort  at  the  Monou- 
gahela  captured  by  Contreooeur,  who  names  it  UuQuesue,  447 — Washm,;?- 
ton  is  put  on  his  guard  by  the  half   king,  447 — Defeats  De  Jummvillj. 


CONTENTS. 


4tti 


Builds  a  fort  at  the  Great  Meadows  which  he  called  Fort  Necessity,  44&— 
Surrenders  Fort  Necessity  to  De  Villiers.  The  French  left  in  undisputed 
possession  of  the  basin  of  the  Ohio,  440. 

CHAPTER  XIV.  '"'-"  -^r  '•  '  ' 
1764. 
Congress  of  commissioners  assemble  at  Albany.  Its  object,  460 — Colonies 
represented.  Backwardness  of  the  Six  Nations  in  arriving.  Jeslousy 
of  the  Indian  commissioners  toward  Johnson,  461 — True  cause  of  the 
reluctance  of  the  Indians  to  attend  the  council.  Lieutenant  Qovernor 
De  Lanoey  called  to  the  chair,  462 — Opening  speech  of  De  Lancey  to  the 
Indians,  463 — King  Hendrik  replies,  464 — The  venerable  Mohawk  brave 
utters  a  scathing  phillipic,  466 — Speech  of  his  brother  Abraham. 
Desires  that  Colonel  Johnson  may  be  reinstated.  Biting  irony  of  his 
speech,  466— Johnson  prepares  an  answer,  which  is  delivered  by  the 
lieutenant  governor,  467 — Johnson,  at  the  request  of  the  commissioners, 
submits  a  paper  on  the  management  of  the  Six  Nations,  468 — Measures 
urged  by  I)im,  469 — Origin  of  the  Wyoming  lands,  460 — The  Con- 
necticut delegates  purchase  the  lands  of  the  Six  Nations.  Extent  of  the 
land  thus  purchased,  464 — Plan  of  a  general  federal  union  taken  into 
consideration,  466— Plan  not  adopted.  Why  it  was  not,  466 — Savage 
hordes  let  loose  upon  the  whole  frontier.  The  storm  bursts  with  all  its 
fury,  467 — Dutch  Hoosic  burned  by  Sohaghticoke  Indians.  Vigorous 
measures  of  Shirley,  468 — Captain  Ephraim  Williams  given  a  command 
with  the  rank  of  major.     De  Lanoey  vies  with  Shirley  in  efficient  pre* 

ftarations  for  defence,  469 — The  French  meditate  a  descent  upon  the 
ower  settlements.  Johnson  places  the  militia  in  a  condition  for  efficient 
service.  Difficulties  between  the  militia  and  regulars  at  Schenectady, 
470<-De  Lancey  announces  to  the  general  assembly  the  defeat  of  Wash- 
ington at  the  Qreat  Meadows,  471— Want  of  harmony  in  the  assembly, 
472— Origin  of  the  famous  college  controversy,  472 — The  church  party 
writhe  under  the  lash  of  William  Livingstone,  474 — Charter  of  the  col- 
lege granted  by  Lieutenant  Governor  De  Lanoey.  He  and  Johnson 
become  warm  mends,  476— Rev.  Mr.  Barclay  resigns  his  post  among 
the  Mohawks  for  the  rectorate  of  Trinity  Church,  476— A  fort  on  the 
Hudson  river  above  Albany  ordered  to  be  built,  477 — End  of  the  college 
controversy,  178. ,  , 

■  '  '••'^'    '•■      CHAPTER  XV.        -"-      ••"  '     •'  ■■'     -■;!., 

I  ■-.•)     1.1!  T  -..•«!■     ■;.:      .f.,;,.,',  i    WOO. 

Vasoillating  course  of  tht  Newcastle  ministry.  Edward  Braddook  sent  to 
America  with  two  regiments,  479 — Dieskau  and  Vaudreuil  arrive  at 
Quebec.  Surrender  of  two  French  men-of-war.  General  assembly  again 
convened,  480— Johnson  arrives  in  New  York  to  take  his  Beat  at  the 
council  board.  Delivers  to  the  lieutenant  governor  a  letter  from  the 
Mohawks,  481— Shirley  again  agitates  the  question  of  a  descent  on 
Crown  Point.  Thomas  Pownal  sent  as  commissioner  to  New  York. 
Meets  with  a  cold  reception,  482 — Braddoek  calls  a  conference  at  Alex- 
andria. Four  separate  expeditions  against  the  French  planned,  483 — 
Johnson  receives  the  command  of  one  of  them,  with   the  rank  of   mt^or 

feneral.  Form  of  his  commission.  Receives  also  the  appointment  of 
ndian  affairs,  484 — Summons  the  Confederacy  to  a  grand  council  at 
Mount  Johnson.  Informs  the  Indians  of  the  arrival  of  General  Brad- 
dock,  486 — The  Confederacy,  through  Hendrik,  express  great  satisfac- 
tion at  his  being"  again  raised  up,"  486 — Johnson,  by  a  stirring  speech, 
persuades  them  to  take  up  arms  in  favor  of  the  English,  488— Shirley 
hastens  to  Boston  to  prepare  for  the  expedition  under  his  command, 
489 — The  assembly  of  New  York,  urged  by  De  Lanoey,  enter  with  alac- 
rity into  the  work  of  raising  troops  for  Major  Guueral  Johnson,  490— 


Ea'ciimagtjfl.cgii- 


ZIV 


CONTENTS. 


GonqvMt  of  AoadU,  491— Charaoter  of  tha  Aoadiaoa,  492— BniUIil.T  of 
Oaneral  Monokton,  40<'( — Cruel  fate  of  the  Aoadiana,  494— Expadition  of 
Braddook,  494— Hii  defeat,  496— The  half  king  at  the  lolioiUtion  of 
Johnson,  offers  his  sertioes  to  Braddook,  and  is  refused,  497— The  French 
prerail  on  several  Indian  tribes  to  take  up  the  hatchet.  Susquehannas 
and  Catawbas  remain  faithful,  498— Shirley's  expedition  against  Niagara, 
49^~It  proTea  abortive,  490— All  9j9a  turned  to  tha  expedition  under 
Mi^orOener*!  Johnson,  600.  ._;:       .-,,..,i. 

CHAPTEB  XVI.        1    ;  ,^  iwA-fOitfio*^-. 
1766.  •>  ■•'  '"■''■"  -.—,-'    " 

The  forees  destined  against  Crown  Point  assemble  at  Albany.  General 
Lyman  is  sent  forward  with  the  greater  part  of  the  troops.  Johnsonl 
delayed  by  the  leaky  condition  of  the  bateaux,  601 — DiflBcnlty  between 
himself  and  Shirley.  Shirley's  conduct,  602— He  is  piqued  at  the  seem- 
ing neglect  shown  to  his  position,  604 — Johnson  heals  the  dissensions 
■own  among  the  Indians  by  Lydius.  Arrives  at  the  great  oarryinK 
place,  accompanied  by  Hendrik  and  Brant,  606 — The  New  England 
troops  burn  to  retrieve  the  disgrace  of  Braddook's  defeat.  General 
Lyman  buildi  Fort  Edward,  606 — Johnson  reaches  Lake  St.  Sacrament,  and 
names  it  Lakt.  George.  Is  joined  by  Lyman,  607 — His  dissappointment 
at  finding  so  few  of  the  Six  Nations  at  the  lake.  Hendrik  attributes  it  to 
Shirley,  608 — Johnson's  plan  of  operations,  610 — Movements  of  Diaskau. 
A  courier  sent  out  by  Johnson  killed  hy  the  enemy,  611 — A  council  of 
war  called.  Hendrik'a  advice,  612 — Dieskau  arranges  an  ambuscade. 
Deaths  of  Hendrik  and  Williams,  618— The  French  jfail  to  take  advant- 
age of  their  first  success.  The  attack  on  Johnson's  camp  begun  by  the 
French  regulars,  614— Dieskau  attempts  to  turn  Johnson's  right.  He  fails. 
Desperate  fighting  by  the  Provincials,  616— Utter  route  of  the  French. 
Dieskau,  seriously  wounded,  is  taken  prisoner.  Last  words  of  Oardenr  St. 
Pierre,  616— General  Johnson  receives  a  severe  wound  and  is  forced  to  re- 
tire to  his  tent.  Captain  Maginnis  defeats  the  remnants  of  the  French  army 
at  Rooky  Brook,  617 — Losses  of  the  English  and  French.  Singular  histori- 
cal fact,  not  generally  known,  617 — Johnson  sends  circular  letters  to 
the  colonial  governors.  His  treatment  of  Shirley  vindicated.  The 
Indians  return  home,  618 — Building  of  Fort  William  Henry.  Want  of 
alacrity  shown  by  the  New  England  troops,  619— Efforts  of  Johnson  to 
allay  all  jealousy,  620— Favorable  opinion  of  Johnson  by  a  New  England 
officer.  Scouting  parties,  under  Rogers,  annoy  the  enemy  in  the 
vicinity  of  Crown  Point.  Johnson  disbands  his  army  and  returns  to 
Mount  Johnson,  621 — He  is  severely  censured.  Review  of  his  conduct, 
621 — Manusoript  letters  now  first  brought  to  light,  afford  a  complete 
vindication  of  his  conduct,  628 — He  is  created  a  Baronet  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, and  receives  the  thanks  of  parliament.  Is  greeted  with  an  illumi- 
nation and  a  triumphal  pr  icession  by  the  citisens  of  New  York,  626 — 
Summing  up  of  the  results  of  the  battle  of  Lako  George,  626. 


•  *  ■iiif 


».  .  tl,  H  I'f  VJ  f  Jf  Of      i    ■•'ih' 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
1766-1756. 


>r.r|c>)M'  iiUjti  !•  iU\^!  'Jnilf^ 


Sir  Charles  Hardy  arrives  in  New  York  as  the  successor  of  Sir  Danvers 
Osborne.  His  first  message  to  the  assembly,  630 — Good  feeling  between 
the  new  governor  and  his  legislature,  631 — Hardy  appoints  a  day 
«f  thanks^ving,  and  sets  out  for  Albany  to  hasten  the  departure  of  the 
levies  682— Accomplishes  little  by  the  visit.  Announces  to  the  assembly 
Johnson's  victory  over  Dieskau.  Demands  the  settlement  of  a  perma- 
nent revenue  on  a  solid  foundation.  The  assembly  allude  especially  to 
the  advantage  gained  by  Johnson,  633 — Governor  Hardy's  demand  for  a 
permanent  support  met  with  quiet  indifference,  634— The  St.  Francis 


!!:1 
H 


C0NTBNT8.  pJP 

Indiana  resume  their  inonnioni  in  the  New  Hampihire  border,  586— 
Shirley,  now  oommander-in-ohief  of  the  forces  in  America,  arrives  in 
New  Yorlc  and  summons  a  grand  congress  of  colonial  gOTernors,  686— 
Lays  before  it  his  plan  for  the  next  year's  campaign,  which  meets  with 
the  general  approval  of  the  congress,  687 — The  assembly  of  New  York 
look  coldly  upon  the  proposed  oxpedition  against  Ticonderoga,  and 
Shirley,  in  disgust,  returns  to  Boston,  688 — Tart  correspondence  between 
Johnson  and  Shirley,  688— The  latter  yields  the  point,  689— Johnson  is 
appointed  by  the  crown,  "  soli  scpxbintindimt  or  tbi  affaibs  or  thb 

SIX  MATIOKS  AXD  OTHIB  HOBTBIBM  IIIDIAXS,"640. 


APPENDIX. 

I.  Letter  flrom  Colonel  William  L.  Stone  to  the  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the 

Senecas,  acknowledging  his  adoption  as  a  chief  of  that  nation,  641. 

II.  "A  memorandum  for  trifles  sent  to  London  for  through  Captain  Knox," 

by  Sir  William  Johnson,  646. 

III>  Sketch  of  Colonel  Ephraim  Williams,  647. 

IV.  Sketch  of  King  Hendrick,  640. 

V.  Sketch  of  Fort  William  Henry  (engraving)  668. 

VI.  Manuscript  letter;  Sir  William  Baker  to  Sir  William  Johnion,  664. 


!: 


(:, 


5' 


KTT'rT^  "' 


»-w  .Ctid-jmi.    Ill  i»»  wt    ••(<•  ■»!?  N».i>';  ni.<i«'f<"      •     ■       "rill   ,»^'-  ;  >* 


'    •>'.>    iniij'  1><9  10   it«i»'vi"v»*  I  tun  •  '■ 
df.t,         ■,.:,<     '  •'''•II  ,i(ifii0<(ift«r>  4'*'**  *    '»MH -i«Jt -nil 


I.   '•'   '  llll  O'JoKlit-l- 


I  i  "I 

li.'i,, 


.»  -• 

:.V»    Mist  !>;;'t  i>!c.li  .-i,*^*. 

.«  •'<!  .  '•  ■<|.rt«..l  ;t;  ■•'•tj!'-.      /I 


'Vi   .'t!*JqAl,>  djiOtdX?)  :■■'•  iitf'JifHJ  Ol  i.li?;  -nj  "it,  t'.i  ffitiUllM  li- 

I  ,".    .(J     -••    ■''■''•    .'IJIj''!'" 


.1,  r., 


■'.<■.■»  J. 


THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES 


••■Mr^hi*'.tt 


SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


».('■■■  •  1 1 J 


.'■'.■..    .-•      .'    ,,i',i'        .!?•    ■ 

CHAPTER  I. 

_i      I         1,  .1  r              i.fUi'  (       . 

1634  —  1741. 

.,<■     .: 


Thb  annalist  is  the  narrator  of  events  in  exact  order  of  chap. 
time :  the  biographer  is  a  relator,  not  of  he  history  of  •— v-* 
nations,  but  of  the  actions  of  particular  persons :  the 
office  of  the  historian  is  to  digest  and  recc  rd  facts  and 
events  in  a  narrative  style,  but  of  yet  greater  security  and 
dignity.  Such,  at  least,  should  be  the  office  o"'  the  writer 
who  aspires  to  the  more  elevated  walks  of  history.  It  is 
not  intended  that  the  present  work  shall  be  confined  within 
the  limits  of  either  of  the  preceding  definitions ;  but  rather 
that  it  shall  to  an  humble  extent,  combine  the  char:  cteristics 
of  all.  "Were  it  strictly  biographical,  it  would  be  in  order 
to  introduce  the  principal  personage  concerning  whom  it 
is  written,  upon  the  stage  of  action  in  his  own  proper  per- 
son, at  the  outset.  But,  as  the  life  of  Sir  Williar/i  John- 
son was,  for  a  long  series  of  years,  identified  w  th  the 
Indian  history  of  the  colony  of  New  York,  it  seem  -i  to  be 
necessary,  in  order  to  a  proper  understanding  of  th  i  rela- 
tions subsisting  between  the  English  and  the  Six  Nations, 
at  the  time  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  head  of  the 
Indian  Department, —  and  in  order,  also,  that  the  ditficulr 
ties  he  was  required  to  surmount  may  be  adequate!/  ap? 
predated, — to  give  a  summary  reyiew  of  the  jntncate 


i 


"tWti'wi'^iilirttlHiMlijwilt 


10 


hWV.   OP   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   DART. 


CHAP, 
I. 


]'  I'l  '■■ 


W' 


ii   :ll 


1684. 


.1 


and  curiously  interblcnded  hiHtoiy  of  tho  Iroquois  Con- 
federacy, U8  connected  with  the  English  und  French  colo- 
nies, from  tho  time  of  tlio  ])utch  conquest,  und  the  cession 
of  the  colony  to  tlio  Duke  of  York,  dowiv  to  the  year  in 
which  Jolinson,  in  his  youth,  established  his  residence  in 
the  valley  of  tho  Molinwk. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  French,  from  the  day  of 
their  awival  in  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  fait  of  their  power 
in  America,  were  generally  more  successlUl  in  winning 
the  confidence  and  aft'ections  of  the  Indians  with  whom 
they  came  into  immediate  contact,  than  any  other  Euro- 
pean people,  not  even  excepting  the  Dutch.  Their  traders 
threaded  the  forests,  and  navigated  the  lakes  and  rivers, 
from  the  Gulf  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  tho  Delta  of  tho  Mis- 
sissippi,-^-planting  ponts  among  them  at  pleasure,  adopt- 
ing their  habits,  and  intemiarrying  with  their  women. 
Their  missionaries  went  forth  unarraed  and  alone,  every- 
where oxliibitiug  the  most  beautiful  examples  of  patience, 
meekness,  and  self-denial ;  and,  with  rare  exceptions,  gain- 
ing the  confidence  of  even  tho  most  savage  hordes  whom 
they  encountered.  Still  thei'o  was  one  exception  to  this 
general  success ;  and  tho  time  was  long  after  their  estab- 
lishment in  Canada,  before  they  succeeded  in  making 
any  favorable  impressions  upon  the  Iroquois.  This  delay 
was  probably  owing  to  tho  circumstance  that  when  the 
French  first  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence,  they  found  the 
Confederates,  upon  whom  they  bestowed  that  name,*  at 
war  with  the  Ilurons  and  Adirondacks,  or  Algonguins, — 
with  which  latter  nations  theii*  firet  amicable  relations  were 
established,  and  as  the  allies  of  whom,  under  Champlain, 

1  "Iroquois,"  I  need  scarcely  remark,  was  not  an  Indian,  but  a  French 
name.  The  Five  Nations  oaUed  tlicmseWes  "Aquanu  Schioni,"  or  "  The 
United  People."  Iroquois  is  a  generic  term,  bestowed  by  the  French  on 
that  type  of  languages  of  which  the  Five  Nations  —  the  Tnscaroras,  and, 
originally,  the  Wyandots,  spoke  dialects.  The  term,  however,  was  early 
restricted  to  the  two  former;  and  the  latter,  for  distinction's  sake,  and 
OwinK  to  Btrikinir  events  in  their  historv.  were  nailed  Hnrnns. 


LIFE  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


11 


/ 


they  engaged  in  the  contest.     The  consequence  of  that  chap. 
alliance  was  a  bitter  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  Iroquois  ««-v— ' 
toward  the  French,  which  continued  until  after  the  con-  ^*^' 
quest  of  New  York  from  the  Dutch,  in  1664.^    During  leei. 
that  long  period  even  the  artful  Jesuits  failed  to  make 
any  considerable  impression  upon  them, —  especially  upon 
the  Mohawks,  at  whose  hands  three  of  their  number  suf- 
fered martyrdom  with  the  spirit  of  a  primitive  apostle." 
More  than  oncCi,  likewise,  before  and  after  that  date,  the     ,  - 
Iroquois  swept  over  the  French  settlements  with  the  torch 
and  tomahawk,  tracking  their  paths  in  blood,  and  carry- 
ing consternation  even  to  the  gates  of  Quebec.    But  the 
French  and  Adirondacks  having  successively  invaded  the 
country  of  the  Mohawks  with  a  strong  force,  in  the  spring 
of  1666,  a  peace  was  concluded  in  the  following  year, 
through  the  influence,  in  chief,  of  the  English  colonial "" 
government,  acting  in  obedience  to  instructions  from  the 
Duke  of  York, —  afterward  King  James  11., —  to  whom 
the  colony  had  been  granted  by  his  brother,  the  second 
Charles,  of  profligate  memory. 

The  first  three  English  governors  of  the  colony,  oiT 
rather  lieutenants  of  the  Duke  of  York,  viz :  Colonels 
Nicholls,  Lovelaoe,  and  Major,  afterward  Sir  Edmund 
Andross,  bestowed  but  inconsiderable  attention  upon  the 
Five  Nations,*  not  seeming  to  appreciate  either  the  impor- 


iii 


i*  Dr.  Colden's  J/c»»ot>  on  the  Fur  Trade. 


sin. 


, -  t>ift;.i 


>  Father  Joques,  Breboeuf,  and  Lallemand.  Vide  Bancroft's  United 
/S<a<e«,  vdl.  iii,  pp.  136-142.  .'.;  ,,     ,j,;,,,,. 

»  NicholW,  the  first  English  governor,  was  the  commander  of  the  expedi- 
tion to  whom  Governor  Stuyvesant  capitulated,  August  twenty-seyenth, 
1064.  Francis  I  ovclace,  a  colonel,  succeeded  NichoUs  in  1667.  He  was  a 
man  of  moderation,  under  whom  the  people  lived  very  happily  until  the  re- 
surrender  of  the  colony  to  the  Dutch,  which  ended  his  administration  in  1673. 
But  on  the  peace  between  the  English  and  the  states  general,  in  February, 
1674,  the  colony  reverted  back  to  England ;  and  Major  Andross  (afterward 
Sir  Edmund),  was  appointed  to  the  government ;  the  province  being  resigned 


jQflJwiiwiiW^^ 


*«««WSj.«.MuMMr- 


iii'iii 


12 


Ln-II  Olr  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHKSOir,  BART. 


^ 


111! 


.1  i 


CHAP,  tance  of  their  trade,  or  of  their  friendship.*    Still,  the 
v-v— '  mortal  hatred  they  had  borne  the  French,  inclined  them 
^•**  rather  to  prefer  the  friendship  of  the  English.    But  th§ 
.<H).  Duke  of  York,  in  his  affection  for  the  Church  of  Rome, 
shutting  his  eyes  to  what  unquestionably  should  have  been 
the  true  policy  of  the  English  toward  the  Indians,  had 
conceived  the  idea  of  handing  the  Confederates  over  to 
the  Holy  See,  as  converts  to  its  forms,  if  not  to  its  faith, 
lee?.  Hence  the  efforts  to  mediate  the  peace  between  the  Iro- 
quois and  the  French,  of  1667 ;  which  were  followed  by 
invitations  to  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  from  the  English^ 
to  settle  among  the  Confederates,  and  by  persuasions  to 
the  latter  to  receive  them.    The  Mohawks  were  either  too 
wise,  or  too  bitter  in  spirit  toward  the  French,  to  listen  to 
the  proposal.    But  not  so  with  the  other  a    ions  of  the 
alliance ;  and  tiie  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cay^igcis  and  Sene- 
cas  opened  their  arms  to  the  insidioutj  bliraugers  in  holy 
garb,  cau»ing  infinite  mischief  in  after  years,  as  will  appear 
in  the  sequel. 

This  peace  of  1667  continued  several  years,  during 
wiiich  time  both  the  English  and  French  prosecuted  their 
trade  with  the  Indians  to  a  great  and  profitable  extent. 
The  French,  especially,  evinced  a  degree  of  energy,  and  a 
npirit  of  enterprise,  almost  unexampled  in  the  history  of 
colonization— planting  their  trading  posts,  under  the  lead 
of  the  adventurous  La  Salle,  at  all  the  commanding  points 
of  the  great  lakes,  and  across  the  country  of  the  Illinois 
to  tiie  Mississippi ;  and  stealing  the  hearts  of  the  Indians 
through  the  arts  of  the  crafty  ministers  of  the  order  of 
Jesus,  whom  they  sprinkled  among  the  principal  nations 


to  him  in  October  following.  Andtoss  continued  in  the  government  of  New 
Tork  until  1682.  In  1686  he  was  appointed  by  King  James  to  the  goTem- 
nent  of  New  England,  where  he  displayed  a  tyrannical  disposition.  In 
1688  New  Tork  was  annexed  to  the  jurisdiotion  of  New  England. 


I  Saiitli's  Hittory  oj  New  York. 


LIFE  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


18 


over  the  whole  counlaT  of  the  exploration.    By  these  bold  oiap. 
advances  deep  into  the  interior,  and  the  insidioiis  wiles  v-v-' 
which  everywhere  characterized  their  movements,  the  ^®*^' 
French  acquired  a  decided  advantage  over  the  English 
colonists  in  the  fur  trade,  which  it  was  evidently  their 
design  exclusively  to  engross ;  while  the  direct  tendency 
of  the  Duke  of  York's  policy,  originating  in  blindness 
and  bigotry,  was  to  produce  exactly  the  same  result,     i^' ; 

The  error  was  soon  perceived  by  Colonel  Dongan,  who  1688. 
arrived  in  the  colony  as  the  successor  of  Major  Andross, 
in  1683.  Though  his  religious  faith  was  in  harmony  with 
that  of  his  royal  master,  he  nevertheless  possessed  an  en^ 
larged  understanding,  with  a  disposition,  as  a  civil  governor, 
to  look  more  closely  after  the  interests  of  the  crown  than 
those  of  the  crosier.  He  had  not  been  long  at  the  head  of 
the  colony,  before  he  perceived  the  mistakes  of  his  prede- 
cessors in  the  conduct  of  its  Indian  relations.  In  fighting 
men,  the  Five  Nations  at  that  lime  numbered  ten  times 
more  than  they  did  half  a  centuiy  afterward;*  and  the 
governor  saw  at  once  their  importance  as  a  wall  of  sepa- 
ration between  the  English  Colonies  and  the  French,  fie 
saw,  also,  the  importance  of  their  trade,  which  the  Jesuit 
priests  were  largely  influential  in  diverting  to  Canada. 
He  saw  that  M.  de  Courcelles  had  erected  a  fort  at  Cada> 
raqui,  within  the  territory  of  the  Iroquois,  on  the  north 
side  of  Lake  Ontario,'  and  that  La  Salle  had  built  a  bark 
of  ten  tons  upon  that  lake,  and  another  of  fifty  upon  Lake 
Erie ;  planting,  also,  a  stockade  at  Niagara.  He  saw  that 
the  French  were  intercepting  the  trade  of  the  English 
upon  the  lakes,  and  that  the  priests  had  succeeded  in 


1  Memoir  of  Dr.  Golden,  oonceming  the  fur  trade,  presented  to  Oct.  Bur- 
nett, in  1724. 


*  The  Bite  of  Kingston,  Canada  West. 


14 


LirB  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOIINBON,   BART. 


i 


1088. 


CHAP,  fioduciiig  mimbors  of  tho  MoliawkB  and  river  Indians'  away 
from  their  own  count  ry,  and  plantinjjr  tJioir  colonies  upon 
the  banks  of  tlie  8t.  Lawrence,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Montreal,  through  whose  agency  an  illicit  trade  had  been 
established  with  tho  city  of  Albany,  by  reason  of  which 
Montreal,  instead  of  Albany,  was  becoming  tlio  principal 
depot  of  the  Indian  trade.''  lie  saw,  in  a  word,  that  the  sub- 
tle followers  of  Ignatius  Loyola  were  rapidly  alienating 
the  aflbctions  of  the  Confederates  from  tho  English  and 
ti'ansforring  them  to  the  French,'  and  that  unless  tho 
policy  respecting  them  was  changed,  the  inflvience  of  tho 
English  would,  at  no  distant  day,  be  at  an  end  with  thorn. 
Nor  had  the  priests  confined  their  eftbrts  simply  to  moral 
suasion ;  but  aa  though  aiming  to  separate  the  Confede- 
rates from  tho  English  at  a  blow,  and  by  a  gulf  so  wide 
and  deep  as  to  be  impassable,  they  had  instigated  them  to 
commit  positive  hostilities  upon  the  frontier  settlements 
of  Maryland  and  Virginia. 

Having  made  himself  thojiroughly  acquainted  with  these 
matters.  Colonel  Dongan  lost  no  time  in  seeking  to  coun- 
tervail the  influence  of  the  French,  and  to  bring  back  the 
Indiana  to  a  cordial  understanding  with  his  own  people. 
His  instructions  from  home  were  to  encoumgo  the  Jesuit 
missionariefl.  These  he  not  only  disregarded,  but  he 
ordered  the  missionaries  away,  and  forbade  tho  Five 
Nations  to  entertain  them.*  It  is  true  this  order  was 
never  enforced  to  the  letter,  —  the  priests,  —  some  of 

•  The  Mahiokandors,  or  Stockbridgo  Indians.     This  tribo  was  composed 

of  Moljcgans,  Narragnnsetts,  tho  Farmiigton  Indians,  and  roftigocs  fi'oiu 

trhat  Mr«re  called  the  Seren  Nations  of  Connecticut   Indians,  who,  tleuing 

before  the  march  of  civilization  in  New  England,  united  with  the  Schaghti- 

koke  Indians,  and  afterward   settled   together,   as  one  people,  at  Stock - 

bridge,  and  subsequently  were  generally  known  as  the  "  River  Indians." 

■    .  i 

*  Dr.  Colden's  memorial. 


'  Idem. 

*  Smith's  Hittory  of  New  York. 


..'i  ■':■  .'iri  '\ 


.:T 


irl: 


/I 


LTFK   OP  Sin   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


15 


1688. 


them  at  least,— maintaining  a  foothold  at  bo  vera!  points  chap. 
of  tho  Confodoracy, — dubious,  at  times,  certainly, — ^but> 
yet  maintaining  it  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  after- 
ward.    Still,  tho  measures  of  conciliation  adopted  by  Col- 
onel Bongan,  made  a  strong  and  favorable  impression  upon 
the  Indians.   ,•*«■  Mtf/i    ivrnfffi.  vik   u/sr^TttH  »   v;i  twiTrivi 

Availing  himself  of  the  difficulty  between  the  Oonfed- 1684. 
erates  and  Vii-ginia,  consequent  upon  the  outrages  just 
adverted  to  as  having  been  instigated  by  tho  priests.  Col- 
onel Dongan  was  instrumental  in  procuring  a  convention 
of  the  Five  Nations,  at  Albany,  in  1684,  to  meet  Lord 
Howard  of  Effingham,  Governor  of  Virginia,  at  which  he 
(Dongan),  was  likewise  present.  This  meeting,  or  council, 
was  attended  by  the  happiest  results.  The  difficulties 
with  Virginia  were  adjusted  and  a  covenant  made  with 
Lord  Howard  for  preventing  further  depredations. '  But 
what  was  of  yet  greater  importance.  Colonel  Dongan 
succeeded  in  completely  gaining  the  aftections  of  the 
Indians,  who  conceived  for  him  the  warmest  esteem. 
They  even  asked  that  the  arms  of  the  Duke  of  York 
might  be  put  upon  their  castles ; — a  request  which  it  need 
not  be  said  was  most  readily  complied  with,  since  should  ,  .„,: 
it  afterwards  become  necessary,  the  governor  might  find 
it  convenient  to  construe  it  into  an  act  of  at  least  partial 
submission  to  English  authority,  although  it  has  been 
asserted  that  the  Indians  themselves  looked  upon  the 
ducal  insignia  as  a  sort  of  charm,  that  might  protect 
them  against  the  French.'    •'   "'  <  '  <  ..-■m  ^^  io.  .,.(i»  .(  d 

There  was  likewise  another  fortunate  concurrence  of 
events  just  at  that  time  which  revived  all  the  ancient  ani- 
mosity between  the  Iroquois  and  the  French.  While  the 
conferences  between  Lord  Howard  and  the  Indians  were 
yet  in  progress,  a  message  was  received  from  M.  De  la 


1  Smith's  History  of  New  York. 


I  ■.ill! 


ti    ifililil-liVi'NijtiUji,-, 


16 


LlfB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


•  I 


l!,! 


oaA#.  Barre,  the  Governor  of  Canada,  complaining  of  the  con- 
•-V-'  duct  of  the  Senecas  in  prosecuting  hostilities  against  the 
'  Miamies  and  other  western  nations  in  alliance  with  the 
French,  and  thus  interrupting  their  trade.  Colonel  Don- 
gan  communicated  the  message  to  the  Iroquois  chiefs,  who 
retorted  by  charging  the  French  with  supplying  their 
enemies  with  all  their  munitions  of  war.  "Onontio* 
calls  us  children,"  said  they,  "and  at  the  same  time  sends 
powder  to  our  enemies  to  kill  us !"  This  collision  resulted 
in  open  war  between  the  Iroquois  and  the  French, — ^the 
latter  sending  to  France  for  powerful  reinforcements, 
with  the  design  of  an  entire  subjugation  of  the  former 
in  the  ensuing  year.  Meantime  the  French  Catholics 
continued  to  procure  letters  from  the  Duke  of  York  to 
his  lieutenant,  commanding  him  to  lay  no  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  the  invaders.  But  these  commands  were  again 
disregarded.  Dongan  apprised  the  Iroquois  of  the  designs 
of  the  French,  not  only  to  march  against  them  with  a 
strong  army,  but  simultaneously  to  bring  down  upon  them 
the  western  Indians  in  their  interest.  The  English  gov- 
ernor also  promised  to  assist  them  if  necessary. 
1685.  Thus  by  the  wisdom,  and  the  strong  sense  of  justice,  of 
Colonel  Dongan,  was  the  chain  of  friendship  between 
the  English  and  the  Five  Kations,  brightened,  and  the 
most  amicable  relations  re-established.  Yet  for  the  course 
he  had  taken,  he  fell  under  the  displeasure  of  his  bigoted 
master  on  his  accession  to  the  throne,  in  1685.' 

It  is  not,  of  course,  within  the  purpose  of  this  retrospect, 
to  trace  the  progress  of  the  long  and  cruel  wars  that  suc- 
ceeded the  negotiations  between  Colonel  Dongan  and 

1  The  name  by  which  the  Iroquois  were  wont  to  speak  of  the  French 
governors  of  Canada. 

'  Colonel  Dongan  continued  in  the  government  of  the  colony  from  1688 
to  1388.  He  was  highly  respected  as  governor,  being  upright,  discreet  and 
of  accomplished  manners.  He  gave  the  colony  its  first  legislative  assem- 
bly, arJ  after  his  ^return  home  became  Earl  of  Limerick. 


Hi     «'!' 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


17 


the  Confederates.    Briefly  it  may  be  said,  in  respect  to  chap, 
the  expedition  of  M.  de  la  Barre,  that  it  failed  by  reason «— ^^ 
of  sickness  in  his  army  at  Cadaraqui,  before  crossing  the  ^^^' 
lake.     He  was  succeeded  in  the  government  of  Canada 
by  the   Marquis  Denonville,   who   invaded   the   Seneca 
country  in  1687  with  a  powerful  force ;  gaining,  however,  1687. 
such  a  victory  over  the  Indians,  in  the  Genesee  Valley,  as 
led  to  an  inglorious  retreat.    This  invasion  was  speedily 
recompensed  by  the  Confederates,  who  descended  upon  the 
French  settlements  of  the  St.  Lawrence  like  a  tempest  and 
struck  a  blow  of  terrible  vengeance  upon  Montreal  itself. 

New  York,  was  at  this  time,  torn  by  the  intestine  commo- 
tions incident  to  the  revolution  which  drove  the  Stuarts 
from  the  English  throne,  and  ended  the  power  of  the 
Catholics  in  the  colony.  It  was  a  consequence  of  these 
divisions,  that  the  English  could  afford  the  Indians  no 
assistance  in  their  invasion  of  Canada,  at  that  time,  else 
that  country  would  then  doubtless  have  been  wrested  from 
the  crown  of  France.  But  the  achievements  of  the 
Indians  were,  nevertheless,  most  important  for  the  colony 
of  New  York,  the  subjugation  of  which  was  at  that  pre- 
cise conjuncture  meditated  by  France,  and  a  combined 
expedition  by  land  and  sea,  was  undertaken  for  that  pur- 
pose,—  Admiral  Cafihiere  commanding  the  ships  which 
sailed  from  Rochefort  for  New  York,  and  the  Count  de 
Frontenac,  who  had  succeeded  Denonville,  being  the 
general  of  the  land  forces.  On  his  arrival  at  Quebec, 
however,  the  count  beheld  his  province  reduced  to  a  field 
of  devastation,  and  he  was  therefore  constrained  \o  ^ban- 
don  the  enterprise. 

During  the  civil  feuds  of  the  revolution,  and  those  that 
followed  under  the  contested  Leislerian  administration, 
the  Indian  aftairs  of  New  York  were  neglected.  Mean- 
time the  New  England  colonies  becoming  involved  in  a 
war  with  the  Eastern  Indians,  sent  a  deputation  to  Albany 

8 


'iiKl  »i»i«a  *■ 


iB 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


!.;ii 


:■! 


CHAP,  to  invite  tlie  Five  Nations  to  take  up  the  hatchet  in  their 

>— ^ — -cause;  but  the  invitation  was  declined,   in  iii...ji,;.:p^x,>  •»*.; 

1687.  rpj^g  revolution  which  brought  "William  and  Mary  upon 
the  throne  having  been  followed  by  war  between  England 
and  France,  the  colonies  were  of  course  involved  in  the 
conflict ;  whereupon  Count  Frontenac  revived  the  policy 
of  attempting  to  detach  the  Confederates  from  the  English 
interest.  To  this  end,  through  the  eftbrts  of  a  Jesuit 
residing  among  the  Oneidas,  all  the  Confederates  save  the 
Mohawks  were  induced  to  meet  the  emissaries  of  the 
French  in  council  at  Onondaga.  At  the  same  time,  with 
a  view  of  making  an  unfavorable  impression  upon  the 
Mohawks,  as  to  the  power  of  the  English  to  defend  their 
own  settlements  against  the  arms  of  the  French  king, 
a  secret  expedition  was  set  on  foot  against  Schenectady, 
which  resulted  in  a  frightful  massacre  of  the  slumbering 
inhabitants  of  that  devoted  town,  on  the  night  of  the  eighth 

1690.  of  February,  1690.  But  the  Five  Nations  were  neither 
won  to  the  interests  of  the  French  by  the  persuasions  of 
the  agents  at  Onondaga,  nor  by  the  terrors  of  the  scene 
at  Schenectady.  The  veteran  chief,  Sadekanaghtie,  an 
Onondaga  orator  of  great  eminence  acted  the  skillful 
diplomatist  at  the  council,  while  the  Mohawks  deeply  sym- 
pathized with  their  suflering  neighbors  of  Schenectady, 
and  harrassed  the  invaders  to  good  purpose  on  their 
retreat, —  sending  their  war  parties  again  into  Canada, 
even  to  the  attack  once  more  of  the  island  of  Montreal. 

It  required,  however,  as  will  often  appear  in  the  present 
work,  the  most  unremitted  attention  of  the  government  to 
maintain  those  close  relations  of  amity  with  the  Five  Na- 
tions which  were  essential  to  the  true  interests  and  safety 
of  the  province.  Their  jealousies  were  far  more  easily 
awakened  than  allayed ;  and  unless  continually  caressed 
and  propitiated  by  frequent  largesses,  they  became  rest- 
less and  frowning.     Hence,  notwithstanding  the  alacrity 


.■:'li't 


S'W 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


19 


1690. 


with  which  the  Mohawks  had  sought  to  avenge  tlie  mur-  chap. 
ders  of  Schenectady,  in  February,  1690,  the  ,  lect  they  • 
experienced  during  the  agitations  attending  and  following 
the  foul  judicial  murder  of  Leisler  and  his  son-in-law,  not 
only  disalfected  them  toward  the  English,  but  they  even 
went  so  far  as  to  send  an  embassy  of  peace  to  Count  Fron- 
tenac.  Meantime,  in  order  to  defeat  this  pui'poso,  Colo- 
nel Sloughter,  who  had  superseded  Leisler  in  the  govern- 
ment,^ succeeded  in  holding  a  council  with  the  four  1691. 
nations  of  the  Confederates,  exclusive  of  the  Mohawks, 
which  was  attended  by  happy  results, —  the  designs  of 
the  Mohawks,  moved,  probably,  by  a  sudden  impulse, 
being  frustrated,  and  they  themselves  renewing  their  cove- 
nant chain.  ,      '       .-,     .    .    )        ,„,.;,.         ..>.f    !.  ,  .  • 

In  order  to  maintain  the  advantages  secured  by  these 
negotiations,  and  keep  in  action  the  hostile  feelings  of  the 
Confederates  against  the  French,  Major  Peter  Schuyler, 
the  white  man  of  all  others  in  whom  the  Five  Nations 
reposed  the  greatest  confidence,  planned  and  executed  his 
bold  irruption  through  Lake  Champlain  into  Canada 
during  the  same  season, —  defeating,  with  his  Lidians,  De 
Callieres,  governor  of  Montreal,  and  keeping  the  whole 


1  Colonel  Sloughter  was  commissioned  to  the  government  of  New  York 
in  January,  1G89,  but  did  not  arrive  until  the  nineteenth  of  March,  1691, 
The  selection  of  Sloughter  was  not  fortunate.  According  to  Smith,  he  was 
utterly  destitute  of  every  qualification  for  government ;  licentious  in  his 
morals,  avaricious,  and  base.  Leisler,  who  had  administered  the  govern- 
ment after  a  fashion,  since  the  departure  of  Dongan,  intoxicated  with 
power,  refused  to  surrender  the  government  to  Sloughter,  and  attempted 
to  defend  the  fort  in  which  he  had  taken  refuge  against  him.  Finding  it 
expedient,  however,  very  soon  to  abandon  the  fort,  he  was  arrested,  and, 
with  his  son-in-law  Milburue,  tried  and  executed  for  treason.  Still,  on 
the  whole,  the  conduct  of  Leisler  during  the  revolution  had  been  consi- 
dered patriotic,  and  his  sentence  was  deemed  very  unjust  and  cruel.  In- 
dued, his  enemies  could  not  prevail  upon  Sloughter  to  sign  the  warrant  fot 
his  execution,  until,  for  that  purpose,  they  got  him  intoxicated.  It  was  a 
murderous  affair.  Sloughter's  administration  was  short  and  turbulent. 
He  died  July  twenty-third,  1091. 


20 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


II; 


1691. 


iilllil 


CHAP.  Canadian  country  in  constant  alarm  by  frequent  incur- 
■  sions  of  war-parties  against  the  French  settlements.  Ac- 
tive hostilities  were  likewise  prosecuted  by  the  Confede- 
rates against  the  French  traders,  and  their  posts,  upon 
Lake  Ontario.  The  celebrated  Onondaga  chief,  Black- 
Kettle,  one  of  the  bravest  and  most  remarkable  warriors 
of  his  race,  was  the  leader  in  that  quarter.  Being  taken 
in  the  same  year,  he  was  put  to  death  by  the  most  fright- 
ful torments. 

On  the  death  of  Sloughter,  Richard  Ingoldsby,  the  cap- 
tain of  an  independent  company,  Was  made  president  of 
the  council)  to  the  exclusion  of  Joseph  Dudley,  who,  but 
for  his  absence  in  Boston,  would  Lave  had  the  right  to 
preside,  and  upon  whom  the  govarnment  would  have 
devolved.  But  although  Dudley  vtry  soon  returned  to 
New  York,  he  did  not  contest  the  authority  of  Ingoldsby, 
who  administered  the  government  until  the  arrival  of 
Colonel  Fletcher,  with  a  commission  as  governor,  in  Au- 

1692.  gust,  1692.  In  the  preceding  month  of  June,  Ingoldsby 
met  the  Five  Nations  in  council  at  Albany,  on  which  occa- 
sion they  declared  tln-Vr  enmity  to  the  French  in  the 
strongest  possible  terms.  Their  expressions  of  friendship 
for  the  English  were  also  renewed.  "Brother  Corlaer," 
said  the  sachem,  "  we  are  all  the  subjects  of  one  great 
king  and  queen ;  we  have  one  head,  one  heart,  one  inte- 
rest, and  are  all  engaged  in  the  same  war."  They  never- 
theless condemned  the  English  for  their  inactivity,  "  tell- 
ing them  that  the  destruction  of  Canada  would  not  make 
one  summer's  work,  against  their  united  strength,  if 
ingeniously  exerted."* 

In  conducting  the  Indian  afiairs  of  the  colony,  Colonel 
Fletcher  took  Major  Schuyler  into  his  councils,  and  was 
guided  by  his  opinions.*    No  man  understood  those  affairs 

'  Smith's  History  of  New  York. 

>  Fletcher  was  by  profession  a  soldier,  a  man  of  strong  passions,  and 
iuconsiderablc  talents  ;  very  active,  and  equally  avaricious.     Hisadminis- 


1  ;f 


f- 


LIFE  OP   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    .  aBT. 


21 


better  than  he ;  and  his  influence  over  the  Indians  was  so  chaj 
great,  that  whatever  Quider,*  as  they  called  him,   either  >—y—' 
recommended  or  disapproved,  had  the  force  of  a  law.  This  ^°®''^' 
power  over  them  was  supported,  as  it  had  been  obtained, 
by  repeated  offices  of  kindness,  and  his  single  bravery  and 
activity  in  the  defence  of  his  country."     Through  the 
influence  of    Quider,    therefore.   Colonel  Fletcher  was 
placed  upon  the  best  footing  with  the  Indians,  by  whom 
was  conferred  upon  him  the  name  of  Cayenguinago,  or 
"The  Great  Swift  Arrow,"  as  a  compliment  for  a  remark- 
ably rapid  journey  made  by  him  from  New  York  to 
Schenectady  on  a  sudden  emergency.' 

Despairing,  at  length,  of  accomplishing  a  peace  with  1698. 
the  Five  Nations,  Count  Frontenac  determined  to  strike 
a  blow  upon  the  Mohawks  in  their  own  country, —  which 
purpose  was  securely  executed  in  the  month  of  February, 
1693.  For  once  this  vigilant  race  of  warriors  were  taken 
by  surprise,  two  of  their  castles  being  entered  and  cap- 
tured without  much  resistance  —  the  warriors  of  both  hav- 
ing been  mostly  absent  at  Schenectady.  On  assailing 
the  third,  or  upper  castle,  however,  the  invaders  met  with 
a  different  reception.  The  warriors  within,  to  the  number 
of  forty,  were  engaged  in  a  war-dance,  preparatory  to 
some  military  expedition  upon  which  they  were  about 


tration  was  so  energetic  and  suooessful,  the  first  year,  that  he  receWed 
large  supplies,  and  a  Tote  of  special  thanks  from  the  assembly.  He  was  a 
bigot,  however,  to  the  Episcopal  form  of  church  government,  and  labored 
hard  to  encourage  English  churches  and  schools,  and  was  shortly  involved 
in  a  violent  controversy  with  the  assembly,  who  inclined  rather  to  favor 
the  Dutch  churches.  He  was  also  unpopular  because  of  his  extravagant 
demands  for  money.  He  continued  in.  the  administration  of  the  government 
until  the  year  1696,  inclusive. 

1  Quider,  the  Iroquois  pronunciation  of  Peter.     Having  no  labials  in 
their  language,  they  could  not  say  Peter. 

*  Smith's  History  of  New  York. 

*  Colden's  Six  Nations. 


22 


LIPB  OP   filtt  WILLIAM  JOIINHON,   DART. 


i'l 


I  i 


i 


ill:! 


CHAP,  entorin^ ;  mid  though  inlerior  in  Ibrco,  yot  they  yielded 
wv— '  not  without  a  btruggle,  nor  until  thirty  of  the  uHHuilunttj 
l'*^^.  j^mj  been  sluin.  About  three  hundred  of  the  Mohavvkrt 
wore  taken  prisoncfH  in  this  invanon,  in  rewpeet  to  which 
the  people  of  Seheneetady  have  been  charged  with  bad 
conduct.  They  neither  aided  their  neighborH,  nor  even 
apprised  them  of  the  approach  of  danger,  although  iu- 
fonued  of  the  fact  in  duo  season  themselves.  But  (iuider, 
the  fast  friend  of  the  Indians,  took  the  Held  at  the  head 
of  the  militia  of  Albany,  immediately  on  hearing  of  the 
invasion,  and  harassed  the  enemy  sharply  during  their 
retreat.  Indeed,  but  for  the  protection  of  a  snovv-storm, 
and  the  accidental  resting  of  a  cake  of  ice  upon  the  river, 
forming  a  bridge  for  their  escape,  the  invadei's  would  havo 
been  cut  ofl*. 

The  loss  of  the  Mohawks  by  this  incursion,  added  to 
dissatisfaction  arising  from  the  many  unfuliilled  promises 
made  to  them  by  the  English,  disheartened  them  so  much 
that,  in  the  spring  of  1693,  the  Oneidas  sued  the  French 
for  peace, —  a  purpose  which  was  frustrated  only  by  the 
promptness  of  Fletcher's  movements.  A  timely  supply 
of  presents  for  the  Indians,  received  from  England,  enabled 
him  to  convene  a  council  of  the  whole  Confederacy  at 
Albany,  in  July,  and  by  a  liberal  distribution  of  arms  and 
ammunition,  knives,  hatchets,  and  clothing,  they  were 
pacified,  and,  to  use  their  own  figure  of  speech,  made  "to 
roll  and  wallow  in  joy,  by  reason  of  the  great  favor  the 
king  and  queen  had  done  them."  Yet,  a  Jesuit  priest, 
resident  with  the  Oneidas,  named  Milet,  soon  afterward 
succeeded  in  persuading  all  the  nations,  excepting  the 
Mohawks,  to  open  their  ears  to  the  propositions  of  certain 
emissaries  dispatched  upon  the  insidious  errand  to 
Onondaga.  But  the  demands  of  the  French,  particularly 
for  permission  to  rebuild  the  fort  at  Cadaraqui,  were 
greater  than  the  Indians  Avere  willing  to  concede,  and 
1694.  the  war  was  renewed  in  1694,  during  which  year  Count 


li-iii: 


LIFE   OP   SIR   \yiLLIAM   JOHN,^O^J,    lURT. 


28 


men  chap. 
I. 


10U4, 


Krontenac  acMit  an  ox|>o(lition  of  throo  Viumlrod 
agairiHt  Huoh  of  tho  Fivo  Nations  a«  might  bo  found  in 
tho  region  of  the  Niagara  [teninsulu.  Only  a  wmall  num- 
l)or  of  IndiiUiH  were  mot  with,  somo  of  whom  were  killed, 
ill  I  others  made  priHonorH.  ThoHC  latter  were  taken  to 
Montreal  and  tortured  to  death  by  tiro.  Tho  Fivo  Nations 
likewise,  renewed  their  ineursions  into  Canada,  and  tho 
fate  of  their  brethren  was  avenged  l)y  a  holocaust,  in 
wliich  ten  of  their  Indian  captives  wore  burnt. 

In  the  year  1696,  the  Count  do  Frontonac  made  a  yet  leoo 
more  formidable  eftbrt  for  the  subjugation  of  the  Fivo 
Nations.  To  this  end,  an  army,  consisting  of  two  battal- 
ions of  regular  troops,  four  battalions  of  militia,  together 
with  tho  warriors  of  all  the  Indian  tribes,  under  liis  in- 
fluence, was  assembled,  with  which  the  count  ascended 
the  St.  Lawrence  to  Cadaraqui,  and  crossing  thence  to 
Oswego,  made  a  descent  upon  tho  Ouondagas.  I3ut  it 
was  a  bootless  expedition.  Tho  Indiana,  apprised  that  the 
French  were  bringing  several  small  pieces  of  artillery 
against  them,  before  which  they  knew  they  could  not 
stand,  set  fire  to  their  principal  towns,  and  retired  with 
their  women  and  children,  and  their  old  men,  to  their 
wilderness  labyrinths.  One  only  of  their  nation  remained 
to  receive  the  invaders, —  an  old  man,  whose  head  was 
whitened  with  the  snows  of  a  hundred  win^ere.  He  re- 
fused to  leave  his  lodge,  and  was  put  to  death  by  torture, — 
dying  as  bravely  as  ho  had  lived,  and  laughing  to  scorn 
the  efforts  by  his  tormentors  to  wring  a  groan  or  a  murmur 
of  complaint  from  his  bosom.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive 
how  the  officers  of  a  civilized  and  gallant  people,  like  the 
French,  could  have  permitted  such  a  murder.  One  would 
have  thought  that  in  admiration  of  his  fortitude,  his  pa- 
ti'iotism,  and  his  courage,  a  hundred  swords  would  have 
leaped  from  their  scabbards  for  tho  defence  of  a  venerable 
brave  like  him.  But  it  was  not  thus ;  and  tho  death  of 
the  old  sachem  was  the  only  exploit  which  crowned  the 


,  f 


Mr<i!WnEPt' 


24 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1696. 


1697. 


CHAP,  last  campaign  of  the  Count  de  Frontenac  against  the  in- 
domitable L'oquois.  i^ot  a  single  Onondaga  captive  was 
made,  and  their  conquest  was  a  field  of  smouldering  ashes. 
Subsequently,  by  treachery,  thirty-five  Oneidas  were  taken 
prisoners  and  carried  into  Canada ;  but  on  the  retreat  of 
the  army,  the  Onondagas  fell  upon  its  rear  and  cut  oft' 
several  bateaux.  Nor  was  this  all,  the  warriors  of  the  Five 
Nations  renewed  their  incursions,  even  to  the  gates  of 
Montreal,  and  by  tomahawk  and  fire  caused  apother  fam- 
ine in  Canada.  On  the  other  hand,  the  scalping  parties 
of  the  French  and  the  Indians  in  their  alliance,  hung  upon 
the  skirts  of  the  English  colonies,  infesting  even  the  pre- 
cincts of  Albany.  ' 

The  peace  of  Ryswick,  in  1697,  put  an  end  to  these  bar- 
barities. The  Earl  of  Bellamont  had  by  that  time  suc- 
ceeded Colonel  Fletcher  in  the  government  of  New  York' 
and  some  difficulties  arose  between  his  lordship  and  the 
French  governor,  in  the  negotiations  that  ensued  for  a 
mutual  release  of  prisoners.  In  these  negotiations  the 
earl  claimed  the  Iroquois  as  the  subjects  of,  or  depend- 
ents upon,  the  crown  of  Great  Britain, —  a  claim  in  which 
Count  Frontenac  was  by  no  means  inclined  to  acquiesce. 
Ponding  these  diplomatic  proceedings,  the  count  died, 
and  the  exchange  of  prisoners  was  effected  by  the  Indians 

1  Richard,  Earl  of  Bellamont,  was  appointed  gOTernor  of  New  York, 
Massachusetts,  and  New  Hampshire,  in  May,  1795,  but  did  not  arrive  in 
New  York  until  May,  1698.  He  was  appointed  b?  King  William  with  a 
special  view  to  the  suppression  of  piracy  in  the  American  seas  —  New  York, 
at  that  time,  having  been  a  commercial  depot  of  the  pirates,  with  whom 
Fletcher,  ard  other  officers  in  the  colony,  had  a  good  understanding.  Kidd 
was  fitted  out  with  a  ship  by  Bellamont,  Robert  Livingstone  and  others,  in- 
cluding several  English  noblemen.  Turning  pirate  himself,  Kidd  was  after- 
ward arrested  in  Boston  by  the  Earl,  and  sent  home  for  trial.  The  Earl 
was  a  nobleman  of  polite  manners,  a  great  favorite  of  King  William,  and 
very  popular  among  the  people  both  of  New  York  and  Boston.  He  had 
been  dissipated  in  his  youth,  but  afterward  be'-me  penitent  and  devout. 
He  died  in  New  York,  in  March,  1701.  v 


-■JVi)««tl  U'KiWiW'^ 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


m 


themselves,  without  the  earl's  consent,  leaving  the  dis-cHAp. 
iiutod  point  unsettled.     Still,  the  Five  Nations  declared  "-.y— ' 
their  continued  attachment  to   Corlaer,   and  refused  a 
residence  at  Onondaga  to  the  Jesuit  missionary  Bruyas, 
who  had  acted  as  an  ambassador  in  the  negotiation.    ;  .;.ii ) 

Nevertheless  the  French  were  far  from  relinquishing  1700 
their  designs  of  supplanting  the  English  in  the  affections 
of  the  Ii'oquois ;  to  which  end  so  many  Jesuit  priests  were 
introduced  among  them  that  in  the  year  1700  an  act  was  ,,  ( 
passed  by  the  provincial  assembly  f  .'  putting  to  death  by 
hanging,  every  Popish  priest  coming  Yolu?itarily  ^within 
the  bounds  of  the  colony.  *;     ,.   :  ^      '.      . 

In  the  spring  of  1702,  hostilities  were  again  proclaimed  1702. 
by  England  against  France  and  Spain.   Happily,  however,     ; : 
the  Five  Nations  had  just  previously  concluded  a  treaty  of 
neutrality  with  the  Canadian  French,  and  the  murderous 
border-forays    incident    to  Indian    hostilities,   were  not 
renewed. 

t 

But  even  the  terrors  of  the  halter  were  insufficient  to 
deter  the  Jesuits  from  communicating  with  the  Five  Na- 
tions, nor  were  their  artful  dealings  with  them  persisted 
in  without  partial  effect.  The  indications  were  indeed 
such  in  the  year  1708,  as  in  the  opinion  of  Lord  Cornbury,*  1708. 

'  Edward  Hyde,  Lord  Cornbury,  was  the  son  of  the  Earl  of  Clarendon. 
On  the  death  of  Earl  Bellamont,  the  government  devolved  upon  Mr.  Nan- 
fan,  the  lieutenant-governor,  until  the  appointment  of  Lord  Cornbury,  in 
1702.  He  was  a  very  tyrannical,  base,  and  profligate  man,  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  government  of  New  York  by  King  William,  as  a  reward  for 
his  desertion  of  King  James,  in  whose  army  he  was  an  officer.  He  was  a 
savage  bigot  and  an  ungentlemanly  tyrant.  He  imprisoned  several  cler- 
gymen who  were  dissenters,  and  robbed  the  Rev.  M.  Hubbard,  of  Jamaica, 
of  his  house  and  glebe.  He  was  wont  to  dress  himself  in  women's  clothes, 
and  thus  patrol  the  fort.  His  avarice  was  insatiable,  and  his  disposition 
that  of  a  savage.  Becoming  at  length  an  object  of  universal  abhorrence 
and  detestation,  he  was  superseded  by  the  queen  (Anne),  who,  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1708,  appointed  Lord  Lovelace  in  his  place.  He  was  then  thrown  | ;  i 
into  prison  by  his  creditors,   where  lie  remained  until  the  death  of  his 

father,  when  he  became  Earl  of  Clarendon.     He  died  in  1723.         ,      /  , 
4 


i'U 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


!  ! 


M  .;li 


CRAP,  then  at  the  head  of  the  colony,  to  require  such  an  appro- 
w^-/  priation  as  would  enable  him  to  meet  them  in  council, 
^  and  conciliate  them  with  the  needful  presents.  This 
timely  measure  was  successful.  The  rusty  spots  upon  the 
chain  were  again  rubbed  off;  and  in  the  succeeding  year, 
through  the  indefatigable  exertions  of  Colonel  Schuy- 
ler,—  Quider, —  the  Five  Nations  were  engaged  heart- 
ily in  Colonel  Nicholson's  remarkable  though  entirely 

1709.  abortive  expedition  for  the  subjugation  of  Canada, —  an 
expedition  the  organization  of  which  cost  the  colonies,  — 
that  of  New  York  in  particular, —  a  vast  amount  of  money, 
and  the  failure  of  which  caused  deep  and  wide-spnad 
mortification.  "       >    i  Ti  :  ,?! 

1710.  Colonel  Schuyler  was  greatly  beloved  by  th.e  Five  Na- 
tions, and  having  excited  their  expectations  to  a  high 
pitch  of  enthusiasm  in  regard  to  the  projected  conquest 
of  Canada,  he  felt  keenly  the  miserable  failure  of  Nichol- 
son's expedition.  Still,  distinctly  perceiving  the  import- 
ance of  effecting  that  conquest,  and  with  a  view,  proba- 
bly, of  diverting  the  attention  of  the  Indians  from  their 
disappointment,  he  determined  upon  a  voyage  to  England 
to  represent  the  actual  state  of  the  countr5%  in  person,  to 
the  parent  government.  His  views  were  seconded  by  the 
colonial  assembly,  and  he  took  with  him  the  five  Iroquois 
chiefs  whose  appearance  in  the  British  capital  created  so 
great  a  sensation,  according  to  the  chroniclers  of  those 
days.^  This  visit  was  made  in  1710.  Schuyler  returned 
with  his  chiefs  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year, —  the  lat- 
ter being  highly  gratified  with  their  voyage,  and  their 
reception  by  the  great  queen,  before  whom  they  had 
strongly  seconded  the  arguments  of  Quider  for  the 
speedy  reduction  of  Canada,  as  the  only  effectual  measure 
of  peace  and  security  to  the  northern  English  colonies. 

1711.  In  accordance  with  this  advice,  another  expedition  for 

•Vide,  one  oiifxe  numbers  of  Addison's  Spectator.  ■' 


LIFE   OP   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


n 


that  object  was  undertaken  in  the  next  year  — 1711 ;  great  chap, 
preparations  being  made  therefor,  both  by  the  parent  gov-  ^-v— < 
ernment  and  the  colonies.  The  French,  aware  of  the  ^^^^' 
design,  were  equally  active  in  concerting  measures  of  de- 
fence. The  Indians  in  their  immediate  alliance  were 
induced  to  take  up  the  hatchet,  and  renewed  attempts 
were  made  upon  the  fidelity  of  the  Iroquois.  No  percept- 
ible impression  was  made  upon  their  virtue,  however ;  but 
the  expedition  resulted  in  another  sad  miscarriage,  alike 
upon  the  land  and  the  wave, —  whereat  the  Confederates 
were  greatly  disheartened,  and  at  length,  under  their  re- 
peated disappointments,  they  again  began  to  "  open  their 
ears"  to  the  insidious  counsels  and  persuasions  of  the 
French.  Indeed,  but  for  the  peace  of  Utrecht,  concluded 
in  the  spring  of  1713,  it  was  believed  that  the  Senecas,  1713. 
and  perhaps  others  of  their  Confederacy,  would  then  have 
turned  their  arms  upon  the  English.  Yet  one  important 
point  connected  with  the  Indian  relations  of  the  English, 
was  secured  by  this  treaty,  if  no  more.  By  its  provisions 
the  long  contested  question  of  English  supremacy  over 
the  Five  Nations  and  their  territory,  which  in  his  negotia- 
tions with  the  Earl  of  Bellamont,  Count  Frontenac  had 
refused  to  recognize,  was  conceded  by  the  French.  The  In- 
dians of  this  Confederacy  had  previously,  under  the  admin- 
istration of  Colonel  Fletcher,  thrown  themselves  upon  the 
English  for  protection, —  as  they  likewise  did  again  at  a 
susbequent  period,  for  the  same  object, —  making  a  formal 
surrender  of  their  country  to  the  English ;  not  as  an  un- 
qualified cession,  however,  but  to  be  held  and  protected 
by  the  crown  for  thdr  use.  In  other  words,  the  Indians 
seem  to  have  supposed  that  they  were  investing  the  Eng- 
lish with  a  sort  of  superior  jurisdiction  over  their  territory, 
reserving  to  themselves  their  own  distinct  sovereignty  in 
every  other  respect. 
Brigadier-General  Hunter,  who  was  appointed  to  the 


governiaeuo  Oj.  js\  ow  a  orK,  aa  uue  ouuccaaur  01  juuvq.  liove- 


i.V. 


_j?' 


'^i«>"Mi*WiUi'»'*»' 


28 


LIFE   OF   Sill  WILLIAM   JOHNSOX,   BART. 


J'i 


1718. 


H'i 


CHAP,  lace,  wus  required  to  take  no  very  active  part  in  the  In- 
dian atiairs  of  the  colony.^  The  peace  of  Utrecht  being 
followed  by  several  yeara  of  repose,  the  colonies  veere  re- 
lieved from  the  terrible  inflictions  of  Indian  hostilities, — a 
species  of  warfare  the  most  frightful  that  can  be  imagined, 
as  well  from  its  certain  as  from  its  uncertain  character, — 
uncertain,  always,  when,  or  where,  the  dreaded  enemy 
might  strike,  and  equally  certain  that  his  path  would  be 
illumined  by  tire,  and  made  red  with  blood.  Meantime 
the  Confederates,  being  likewise  relieved  from  hostilities 
with  the  French,  and  the  Indians  in  their  interest,  again 
directed  their  ai-ms  against  their  ancient  enemies  in  the 
south, —  in  the  countries  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia,—^ 
among  the  Catawbas  and  the  Cherokees,  even  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mobile.  The  most  powerful  nation  in  the 
midlands  of  Carolina,  were  the  Tuscaroras,  kindred,  as 
their  speech  testified,  either  of  the  Wyandots,  or  the  Five 
Nations,  or  both.  In  either  case,  their  language,  having 
no  labials,  bore  so  strong  n  affinity  to  that  of  the  Five 
Nations,  that  they  were  claimed  by  the  latter  as  relations ; 
and  with  their  own  consent  were  transplanted  to  the  north, 
within  the  bosom  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy.  It  has 
been  asserted  by  a  high  authority,  that  at  a  date  so  recent 
as  the  year  1708,  the  Tuscaroras  possessed  fifteen  towns, 
and  could  count  twelve  hundred  warriors  as  brave  as  the 
Mohawks.''  This  enumeration  must  have  been  erroneous, 
or  else  their  numbers  were  rapidly  diminished  by  pesti- 

^  John,  Lord  Lovelace,  Baron  of  Hurley,  appointed  to  supereede  Lord 
Cornburjr,  entered  upon  the  government  of  the  colony  on  the  18th  of  De- 
cember, 1708.  He  died  on  the  5th  of  May  in  the  next  year,  of  a  disorder 
contracted  in  crossing  the  ferry  at  his  first  arrival  in  New  York.  His  lady 
remained  in  New  York  many  years  after  his  death.  On  the  death  of  his 
lordship,  the  government  once  more  devolved  upon  Richard  Ingoldsby,  the 
lieutenant-governor  of  the  colony,  until  the  arrival  of  Governor  Hunter,  in 
the  summer  of  1710.  <    ,-^ui<      -;  •  ,  ■  .i:    ■!     .li  .-.•  .,,...     ^^ 

'  Bucroft's  Eittory  of  the  United  Statet,  vol.  iii.      "     ^ '  >  •   -  'V  ^     ' 


Ujii 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


29 


1718. 


lence  or  war,  or  by  soiue  other  calamity,  since  at  the  time  chap. 
of  their  transplantation,  five  years  afterward,  they  were  but^ 
a  comparatively  feeble  clan.     Yet  they  were  counted  as  a 
nation ;  and  the  Iroquois  Confederacy  was  thenceforward 
called  The  Six  IiTations.^      «»«I  5fe«r^l4.. . ,  .>^*a*;lHUiii  r>  i^b 

General  Hunter  continued  at  the  head  of  the  colonial  1719- 
administration  until  the  summer  of  1719,  when  he  svent 
back  to  England  on  leave  of  absence,  as  well  on  account 
of  his  health,  as  to  look  after  his  private  aftairs.     He  inti- 
mated that  he  might  return  to  the  government  again,  but 
did  not."    The  chief  command  on  his  departure,  devolved 
on  the  Hon.  Peter  Schuyler,  as  the  oldest  member  of  the    ^ 
council,  but  only  for  a  brief  period.    He  however  held  a 
treaty  with  the  Six  I^Tations  at  Albany,  which  was  consi-     -  i 
dered  satisfactory ;  yet  it  would  have  been  more  so,  had 
his  efforts  to  induce  the  Confederates  to  drive  Joncaire, 

^  The  history  of  the  Tusoaroras,  and  the  maiiber  or  cause  of  their  re- 
moTal  to  the  oorth,  and  their  incorporation  w  th  the  Iroquois  Confederacy, 
are  inyolved  in  doubt.  According  to  some  accounts,  they  are  said  to  have 
been  first  conquered  by  the  Five  Nations,  and  then  adopted  among  them 
because  of  discovered  relationship.  Dr.  Golden  says  they  fled  to  the  Five 
Nations,  before  the  arms  of  the  people  of  Carolina.  Smith  gives  a  still 
different  account  of  their  southern  locality,  thus:  " The  Tuscaioras  pos- 
sessed a  tract  of  land  near  the  sources  of  Jc  mes  river,  in  Virginia,  whence 
the  encroachments  of  the  English  induced  them  to  remove,  and  settle  near 
the  southeast  end  of  the  Oneida  lake." —  Suith. 


'  Hunter  was  a  Scotchman,  and  when  a  boy,  an  apprentice  to  an  apothe- 
cary. Leaving  his  ma«ter,  he  entered  the  army,  and  being  a  man  of  wit 
and  beauty,  gained  promotion,  and  also  the  hand  of  Lady  Hay.  In  1707 
he  was  appointed  lieuteaant-governor  of  Virginia,  but  being  captured  by 
the  French  on  hie  voyage  out,  on  his  return  to  England  he  was  appointed  to 
the  government  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  then  united  in  the  same 
jurisdiction.  Governor  Hunter  was  the  man  who  brought  over  the  three 
thousand  Palatines  from  Germany,  who  founded  the  German  settlements  in 
the  interior  of  New  York  aud  Pennsylvania.  He  administered  the  govern- 
ment of  the  colony  "  well  and  wisely,"  as  was  said  to  him  in  an  affection- 
ate parting  address  by  the  general  assembly,  until  the  summer  of  1719, 
when  he  returned  to  England  on  leave,  to  look  after  his  private  aff.airs. 


30 


LIFE   OP   SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


. 


' 

i .     ■ 

||.; 

ii 

•     h 

i     "  :ii;;|ji 

;l 

■y„i, 

CHAP,  the  artful  agent  of  the  French,  out  of  their  country,  been 
v-v—' successful.  This  Jesuit  emissary  had  resided  among  the 
^^^®*  Senecas  from  the  beginning  of  Queen  Anne's  rejgn.  He 
had  been  adopted  by  them,  and  was  greatly  beloved  by 
the  Onondagas.  He  was  incessant  in  his  intrigues  in  be- 
half of  the  French,  facilitating  the  missionaries  in  their 
progress  through  the  country,  and  contributing  greatly  to 
the  vacillating  course  of  the  Indians  toward  the  English. 
Schuyler  was  aware  of  all  this ;  but  notwithstanding  his 
own  great  influence  over  the  Six  Nations,  he  could  not 
prevail  upon  them  to  discard  their  favorite.  In  other  re- 
spects the  government  of  Schuyler  was  marked  by  tnode- 
ration,  wisdom,  and  integrity.^ 
1720.  William  Buraet,  son  of  the  celebrated  prelate  of  that 
name  who  flourished  in  the  reign  of  William  and  Mary, 
succeeded  to  the  government  of  the  colony,  in  the  year 
1720 ;  and  of  all  the  colonial  governors  of  New  York, 
with  the  exception  of  Colonel  Dongan,  his  Indian  policy 
was  marked  by  the  most  prudent  forecast  and  the  greatest 
wisdom.  Immediately  after  the  peace  of  Utrecht,  a  brisk 
trade  in  goods  for  the  Indian  market,  was  revived  between 
Albany  and  Montreal, —  the  Caughnawaga  clan  of  the 
Mohawks  residing  near  Montreal  serving  as  carriers.  The 
chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  foresaw  the  evil  and  inevitable  con- 
sequences to  result  from  allowing  that  trade  to  pass  round  in 
that  direction,  inasmuch  as  the  Indians  would  of  course  be 
drawn  exclusively  to  M')ntreal  for  their  supplies,  to  be 
received  immediately  at  the  hands  of  the  French,  —  and 
they  cautioned  the  English  authorities  against  it.  Mr. 
Hunter  had  indeed  called  the  attention  of  the  general  as- 
sembly to  the  subject  at  an  antecedent  period ;  but  no 
action  was  had  thereon  until  after  Mr.  Burnet  had  as- 
sumed the  direction  of  the  colonial  administration.  The 
policy  of  the  latter  was  at  once  to  cut  oft"  an  intercourse, 
so  unwise  and  so  dangerous,  with  Montreal,  and  bring  the 

1  Smith's  Hittory  of  New  York. 


■M^ 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


31 


entire  Indian  trade  within  the  limits  and  control  of  New  chap. 
Yorly.     To  this  end  an  act  was  passed  at  his  suggestion,  w^— . 
subjecting  the  traders  with  Montreal  to  a  forfeiture  of  ^^'^^' 
their  goods,  and  a  penalty  of  one  hundred  pounds  for  each 
infraction  of  the  law.    It  likewise  entered  into  the  policy 
of  Mr.  Burnet  to  win  the  confidence  of  the  Caughnawa- 
gas,  and  reunite  them  with  their  kindred  in  their  native 
valley.    But  the  ties  by  which  the  Roman  priesthood  had 
bound  them  to  the  interests  of  the  French,  were  too  strong, 
and  the  eftbrts  of  the  governor  were  unsuccessful. 

In  furtherance  of  the  design  to  grasp  the  Indian  trade,  1722. 
not  only  of  the  Six  I^ations,  but  likewise  that  of  the 
remoter  nations  of  the  upper  lakes,  a  trading  post  was 
established  at  Oswego  in  1722.  A  trusty  agent  was  also 
appointed  to  reside  at  the  great  council-fire  of  the  Onon- 
dagas,— the  central  nation  of  the  Confederates.  A  con- 
gress of  several  of  the  colonies  was  held  at  Albany,  to 
meet  the  Six  Nations,  during  the  same  year,  which,  among 
other  distinguished  men,  was  attended  by  Governor  Spotts- 
wood,  of  Virginia,  Sir  William  Keith,  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  by  Governor  Burnet.  At  this  council  the  chiefs 
stipulated  that  in  their  future  southern  war-expeditions 
they  would  not  cross  the  Potomac,  and  in  their  marches 
against  their  southern  enemies,  their  path  was  to  lie  west- 
ward of  the  great  mountains  —  the  Alleghanies  meaning. 
Mr.  Burnet  again  brightened  the  chain  of  friendship  with 
them,  on  the  part  of  New  York,  notwithstanding  the  ad- 
verse influences  exerted  by  the  Chevalier  Joncaire,  the 
Jesuit  agent  residing  alternately  among  the  Senecas  and 
Onondagas. 

The  beneficial  effects  of  Mr.  Burnet's  policy  were  soon 
apparent.  In  the  course  of  a  single  year  more  than  forty 
young  men  plunged  boldly  into  the  Indian  country  as  tra- 
ders, acquired  their  languages,  and  strengthened  the  pre- 
carious friendship  existing  between  the  English  and  the 
more  distant  nations :  while  tribes  of  the  latter  urevioriHlv 


82 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


iiii' ' ' 

lili      I   ; 


m 


jr 


if' 

II 


I! 


CHAP,  unknown  to  the  colonists,  even  from  beyond  Michilimack- 
v-v— '  inae,  visited  Albany  for  purposes  of  traffic,     hi  -,  i      jJ;** » 
*  1  The  establishment  of  an  English  post  at  Oswego  was  a 
cause  of  high  displeasure  to  the  French,  who,  in  order  to 
intercept  the  trade  from  the  upper  lakes  that  would  na- 
turally be  drawn  thither,  and  thus  be  diverted  from  Mont- 
real, determined  to  repossess  themselves  of  Niagara,  re- 
build the  trading-house  at  that  point,  and  repair  their  dila- 
pidated fort.     The  consent  of   the  Onondagas    to  this 
measure  was  obtained  by  the  Baron  de  Longueil,  who 
'•'■     visited  their  country  for  that  purpose,  through  the  influ- 
ence of  Joncaire  and  his  Jesuit  associates.    But  the  other 
members  of  the  Confederacy,  disapproving  of  the  move- 
ment, declared  the  permission  given  to  be  void,  and  dis- 
patched messengers  to  Niagara  to  arrest  the  procedure. 
With  a  just  appreciation  of  the  importance  of  such,  an 
encroachment  upon  their  territory,  the  Confederates  met 
Mr.  Burnet  in  council  upon  the  subject,  at  Albany,  in 
1727.  1727.     "  We  come  to  you  howling,"  said  the  chiefs ;  "  and 
this  is  the  reason  why  we  howl,  that  the  governor  of  Can- 
ada encroaches  on  our  land  and  builds  thereon."     Gover- 
nor Burnet  made  them  a  speech  on  the  occasion,  beauti- 
fully expressed  in  their  own  figurative  language,  which 
gave  them  great  satisfaction.^    The  chiefs,  declaring  them- 
selves uiable  to  resist  this  invasion  of  the  French,  en- 
treated the  English  for  succor,  and  formally  surrendered 
their  country  to  the  great  king,  "  to  be  protected  by  him 
for  their  use,"  as  heretofore  stated.    But  Governor  Burnet 
being  at  that  period  involved  in  political  difficulties  with 
an  assembly,  too  short-sighted,  or  too  factious,  to  appreciate 
the  importance  of  preserving  so  able  a  head  to  the  colonial 
government,  was  enabled  to  do  nothing  more  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Indians  than  to  erect  a  small  military  de- 
fence at  Oswego ;  and  even  this  work  of  necessity  he  was 
obliged  to  perform  at  his  own  private  expense.    Meantime 

^Smith's  Historu  of  New  Yorfe, 


,^*iiiliWiT«'hii'»lf»'""' 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


88 


the  French  completed-  and  secured  their  works  at  Niagara  char 
without  molestation.  *— v-* 

In  the  course  of  the  same  year,  having  been  thwarted  ^'^T. 
in  his  enlarged  ...1  patriotic  views  by  several  successive 
assemblies,  Mr.  Burnet,  the  ablest  and  wisest  of  the  colo- 
nial administrators,  retired  from  the  government  of  New 
York,  and  accepted  that  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire.' Mr  Montgomery  succeeded  him  in  New  York,  in 
1728.  He  was  an  indolent  man,  and  had  not  character  1728. 
enough  to  inspire  opposition.  The  French,  enraged  at 
the  erection  of  a  fort  at  Oswego,  were  now  menacing  that 
post.  The  new  governor  thereupon  met  the  Six  Nations  .  ..-i 
in  council  at  Albany,  to  renew  the  covenant  chain,  and 
engage  them  in  the  defence  of  that  important  station. 
Large  presents  were  distributed  among  them,  and  they 
declared  their  willingness  to  join  the  reinforcements  de- 
tached from  the  independent  companies  for  that  service. 
Being  apprised  of  these  preparations,  the  French  desisted 
from  their  threatened  invasion.' 

Much  of  the  opposition  to  the  administration  of  GoVer-  f.  rr 
nor  Burnet,  had  been  fomented  and  kept  alive  by  the  Al- 
banians who,  by  the  shrewdness  of  his  Indian  policy,  and 


>  Governor  Burnet  was  not  only  a  man  of  letters,  but  of  wit  —  a  belierer 
in  the  Christian  religion,  y^t  not  a  serious  professor.  A  variety  of  amusing 
anecdotes  has  been  related  of  him.  When  on  his  way  from  New  York  to 
assume  the  government  at  Boston,  one  of  the  committee  who  went  froniii 
that  town  to  meet  him  on  the  borders  of  Rhode  Island,  was  the  facetious 
Colonel  Tailer.  Burnet  complained  of  the  long  graces  that  were  said  be- 
fore meals  by  clergymen  on  the  road,  and  aaked  when  they  would  shorten. 
Tailer  answered :  '  The  graces  will  increase  in  length  till  you  come  to  Bos- 
ton ;  after  that  they  will  shorten  till  you  come  to  your  governi&ent  of  iTew 
Hampshire,  where  your  excellency  will  find  no  grace  at  all." 

*  Colonel  John  Montgomery  succeeded  Mr.  Burnet  in  the  governinent  0f 
the  colonies  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  in  the  inonth  of  April,  1728, 
He  was  a  Scotchman,  and  bred  a  soldier.  But  quitting  the  profession  of 
arms,  he  went  into  parliament, —  serving  also,  for  a  time,  as  groom  of  the 
bed-chamber  to  his  majesty  Oeorge  II,  before  his  accession  to  the  throne. 
He  was  a  man  of  moderate  abilities  and  slender  literary  a^ainments.  He 
Wks  too  good-natured  a  man  to  excite  enmities ;   and  klir  »dab»|iMr*ti<NI| 


.1.^—1   1 J. .At.    i.    1IT01 


**  1- 21    . i 


vuii  auuA'iJ  ujr  ucckbu  lu  xf  ua,  niftD  vuo  vi  M'lUKjuii  lUtt'Jblun. 


84 


LIFE   OP  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART, 


':l!'i 

.i,ii; 


I  i 


■..'I*. 


CHAP,  tho  Vigorous  mensurea  by  which  he  had  enforced  it,  had 
v_v_<  been  interrupted  in  their  illicit  trade  in  Indian  goods  with 

1728.  Montreal, —  and  also  by  the  importers  of  those  goods  re- 
siding in  the  city  of  New  York.  Sustained,  however,  by 
his  council-board,  and  by  the  very  able  memoir  of  Doctor 
Colden  upon  that  subject,  Mr.  Burnet,  as  the  reader  has 
already  been  apprised,  had  succeeded  in  giving  a  new  and 
more  advantageous  character  to  the  inland  trade,  while 

'  the  Indian  relations  of  the  colony  had  been  placed  upon 
a  better  footing,  in  so  far  at  least  as  the  opportunities  of 
the  French  to  ^amper  with  them  had  been  measurably  cut 

1729.  oft".  But  in  December  of  the  succeeding  year,  owing  to 
some  intrigues  that  were  never  clearly  understood,  all 
these  advantages  were  "uddenly  relinquished  by  an  act  of 
the  crown  repealing  the  measures  of  Mr.  Burnet ;  reviv- 
ing, in  effect,  the  execrable  trade  of  the  Albanians,  and 
thus  at  once  re-opening  the  door  of  intrigue  between  the 
French  and  the  Six  Nations,  which  had  been  so  wisely 
closed. 

1781.  On  the  decease  of  Colonel  Montgomery,  the  duties  of 
the  color  ial  executive  were  for  a  brief  period  exercised  by 
Mr.  Rip  Van  Dam,  as  president  of  the  council.*  His  ad- 
ministration was  signalized  by  the  memorable  infraction 
of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  by  the  French,  who  then  invaded 
the  clearly  defined  territory  of  New  York,  and  built  the 
fortress  of  St.  Frederick,  at  Crown  Point,  a  work  which 
gave  them  the  command  of  Lake  Champlain, —  the  high- 
way between  the  English  and  French  colonies.  The 
pusillanimity  evinced  by  the  government  of  New  York  on 
the  occasion  of  that  flagrant  encroachment  upon  its 
domains,  excites  the  amazement  of  the  retrospective 
reviewer.  Massachusetts,  alarmed  at  this  advance  of  the 
rivals,  if  not  natural  enemies,  of  the  English  upon  the  set- 
tlements of  the  latter,  first  called  the  attention  of  the  au- 

1  Mr.  Van  Dam  was  an  eminent  merohant  in  the  city  of  New  York,  "  of 
»  fair  estate,"  says  Smith,  the  historian,  "  though  distinguished  more  for 
the  integrity  of  hia  heart,  than  his  capacity  to  hold  the  reins  of  govern- 


'|:i|i;! 


m, 


LIFE)  OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    BART. 


85 


thorities  of  Now  York  to  the  subject ;  but  the  infonnation  chap. 
was  received  with  the  most  provoking  indifference.  There v—^,^ 
was  a  regiihir  military  force  in  the  colony  abundantly  suf- 1781. 
licient,  by  i  prompt  movement,  to  repel  tlie  aggression ; 
yet  not  even  a  remonstrance  was  uttered  against  it. 

During  t'ne  stormy  administration  of  Colonel  Cosby,  1782. 
from  1782  to  1786  inclusive,  no  attention  whatever  appears 
to  have  been  directed  to  Indian  aftairs.  The  incessant  />s:i 
quarrels  of  this  weak  and  avaricious  man  with  the  people 
and  their  representatives,  left  him  apparently  no  time  to 
bestow  upon  the  external  relations  of  the  colony ;  and  the 
Six  Nations,  in  the  absence  of  other  employment,  again 
resumed  hostilities  against  their  enemies  at  the  South. 
One  of  their  expeditions,  directed  against  the  Chickasaws, 
was  fearfully  disastrous.  They  fell  into  an  ambuscade, 
and  fought  until  all  but  two  of  a  strong  body  of  warriors 
were  slain.  One  only  of  those  two  returned  to  rehearse 
the  tale.  He  struck  off  deep  into  the  forest,  and  support- 
ing himself  by  game  on  the  way,  succeeded  in  traversing 
the  whole  distance  back  to  his  own  countiy  without  meefr 
ing  a  single  human  being  during  the  journey.^  Another 
expedition,  yet  stronger,  was  sent  against  the  Catawbas 
and  Cherokees.  They  met  upon  the  banks  of  the  Cum- 
berland fiver,  now  in  Kentucky,  at  a  place  called  "the 
bloody  lands."  Ascertaitiing  that  their  enemies  were  ad- 
vancing to  meet  them,  the  Six  Nations  in  turn  drew  them 
into  an  ambuscade,  and  a  terrible  battle  followed,  in  which 
the  southrons,  after  a  contest  of  two  days,  were  defeated, 
with  a  loss  of  twelve  hundred  braves  killed  on  the  field.' 


These  retrospective  glances  have  now  been  brought  down  1786 
to  the  year  1735  —  the  date  of  the  arrival  in  America  of 

>  Relation  of  General  Schuyler  to  Chancellor  Kent.  Vide  note  in  Kent's 
Commentaries,  vol.  iii. 

*  Life  of  Mary  Jenniton,  the  Seneca  white  woman.  Hiookatoo,  her  Ivri- 
band,  was  in  the  battle.  Still,  the  numbers  said  to  have  been  killed  maj 
be  au  exaggeration.  ;;»  oii    : 


■■'*:-! 


86 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


I'. 


ciuf.  the  extraordinary  youth  whose  life  will  form  a  prominent 
^».^«<  subject  of  these  memoirs.  And  although  thut  individual 
17M.  (Joeg  jjot  yet  appear  upon  the  theatre  of  public  action,  still, 
in  order  to  the  completeness  of  his  "  life  and  timcSy"  it 
will  bo  necessary  henceforward  to  se^  forth  both  the  Indian 
and  the  civil  history  of  the  colony  with  more  fullness  of 
detail  than  in  the  preceding  pages. 
1786.  On  the  demise  of  Colonel  Cosby,^  Mr.  George  Clarke, 
long  a  member  of  the  council,  after  a  brief  struggle  with 
Mr.  Van  Dam  for  the  precedency,  succeeded  to  the  direc- 
tion of  the  government ;  and  being  shortly  afterward  com- 
missioned as  lieutenant-governor,  he  continued  at  the  head 
of  the  colonial  administration  from  the  autumn  of  1736 
to  that  of  1748, —  seven  years.  Mr.  Clarke  was  remotely 
connected,  by  marriage,  with  the  family  of  Lord  Claren- 
don,-^ having  been  sent  over  as  secretary  of  the  colony 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  Being,  moreover,  a  man  of 
strong  common  sense  and  of  uncommon  tact;  and  by  reason 
of  his  long  residence  in  the  colony,  and  the  several  offi- 
cial rtations  he  had  held,  well  acquainted  with  its  afiairs ; 
hia.  administration, —  certainly  until  toward  its  close, — was 
(Kwaparatively  popular,  and,  all  circumstances  considered, 
enunently  successftil.  In  the  brief  struggle  for  power 
between  himself  and  Mr.  Van  Dam,  the  latter  had  been 
sustained  by  the  popular  party,  while  the  officers  of  the 
orown,  and  the  partisans  of  Cosby,  with  few  if  any  excep- 
tiyoiU),  adhered  to  Mr.  Clarke."  This  difficulty  had  been 
speedily  ended  by  a  royal  confirmation  of  the  somewhat 

Nil  '  .  ! 

1  Colonel  William  Cosby,  appointed  to  the  government  of  New  York  in 
1782,  had  fprmerly  been  governor  of  Minorca,  where  he  acquired  no  very 
enviable  name  by  the  scandalous  and  corrupt  practices  to  which  he  was 
prompted  by  his  avarice.  His  administration  was  turbulent  and  exceedingly 
unpopular,  and  deservedly  so,  for  his  conduct  was  atrocious.  He  dieuuni- 
vwMlly  det«ated,  on  the  tenth  of  March,  1786. 

*  Mr.  Van  Dam  had  been  privately,  and,  as  he  and  his  partisans  contend- 
ed, illagally  removed  firom  the  council-board  by  Cosby,  in  a  fit  of  passion, 
•Jnost  upon  hu  d«»tih-bed.  Hence  the  struggle  to  which  I  have  referred 
in  the  text. 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHITflON,    BART. 


87 


doubtful   authonty  ftHflumcd  by   Mr.   Clarke.     IIIh  own  chaf. 
courao,  moreover,  on  taking  the  seals  of  office,  wdh  con-v-y-' 
tilirttory.     In  his  first  speech  to  the  general  assembly  he  re-  ^7''®- 
ferred  in  temperate  language  to  the  unhappy  divisions  which 
had  of  lute  disturl>cd  the  colony,  and  which  ho  thought 
it  was  then  a  favorable   moment  to  heal.    The  English 
flour-market  being  overstocked  by  large  supplies  furnished 
from  the  other  colonies,  the  attention  of  the  assembly  was 
directed  to  the  expediency  of  encouraging  domestic  manu- 
factures in  various  departments  of  industry.     To  the  In- 
dian affairs  of  the  colony,  Mr.  Clarke  invited  the  special 
attention  of  the  assembly.    The  military  works  of  Fort 
Hunter  being  in  a  dilapidated  condition,  and  the  object  of 
affording  protection  to  the  Christian  settlements  through 
the  Mohawk  valley  having  been  accomplished,  the  lieu- 
tenant-governor suggested  the  erection  of  a  new  fort  at 
the  carrying-place  between  the  Mohawk  river  and  Wood 
creek,*  leading  into  Oneida  lake,  and  thence  through  the 
Oswego  river  into  Lake  Ontario ;  and  the  transfer  of  the 
garrison  fVom  Fort  Hunter  to  this  new  and  commanding 
position.     He  likewise  recommended  the  repairing  of  the 
block-house  at  Oswego,  and  the  sending  of  smiths  and 
other  artificers  into  the  Indian  country,  especially  among 
the  SenecnR.' 
Then      ^commendationB  were  repeated  in  the  execntive  1737. 

•  Tk«  «lte,  afterward,  of  Fort  Stanwix, —  now  the  opu^ont  town  of  Rome. 

■  In  the  course  of  this  session  of  the  general  assembly,  Chief  Justice  De 
Lancey,  speaker  of  the  legislative  council,  announced  that  his  duties  in 
the  Supreme  Court  would  render  it  impossible  for  him  to  act  as  speaker 
through  the  session.  It  was  therefore  ordered  that  the  oldest  counselor 
present  should  thenceforward  act  a?  speaker.  Under  this  order,  Doctor 
Cadwallader  Colden  first  came  to  the  chaii 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  October,  the  council  resolved  that  they  should 
hold  their  sittings  in  the  common  council  chamber  of  the  City-Hall.  The 
House  immediately  returned  a  mesHnge  that  they  were  holding  their  ses- 
sions, and  should  continue  to  hold  them  in  that  chamber ;  and  that  it  was 
conformable  to  the  constitution  that  the  council,  in  its  legislative  capacity, 
should  ait  as  a  distinct  and  separate  body. 


\  :■■■ ; 


88 


'■  II 


III 


ri 


\U 


l!f 


fliiil 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1787. 


CHAP,  speech  to  the  assembly  in  the  spring  of  1737,  aiid  also 
'  again  to  a  new  assembly  which  had  been  called  in  the 
summer  of  the  same  year.  The  lieutenant-governor  far* 
ther  informed  the  new  assembly  that  it  had  become  neces- 
sary for  him  to  meet  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  in 
council  at  Albany  in  consequence  of  certain  negotiations 
pending  between  the  Senecas  and  the  French,  by  virtue  of 
which  the  latter  were  on  the  point  of  obtaining  permission 
to  erect  a  trading-post  at  Tierondequot,  which  would  ena- 
ble them  to  intercept  the  fur-trade  of  the  upper  lakes  on 
its  way  to  Oswego.^ 

For  the  purpose  of  defeating  this  sagacious  movement 
of  the  French,  and  if  possible  yet  further  to  circumvent 
them  by  obtaining  the  like  permission  for  the  English  to 
establish  a  trading-post  at  the  same  point,  the  meeting  with 
the  Confederate  chiefs  took  place  in  Albany,  as  suggested 
in  the  speech.  The  objects  of  the  interview,  however, 
were  only  obtained  in  part.  The  Senecas  agreed  not  to 
allow  the  French  agent,  John  Coeur,  to  build  at  Tieronde- 
quot ;  but  neither  would  they  permit  the  English  to  plant 
themselves  there.  Still  they  gladly  acceeded  to  the  propo- 
sition of  the  lieutenant-governor  to  send  a  gun-smith  to 
reside  among  them, —  with  whom  were  also  dispatched  an 
interpreter,  and  three  other  agents,  to  assist  in  circum- 
venting the  intrigues  of  the  French.  At  the  succeeding 
autumnal  session  of  the  assembly,  these  measures  wore 
sanctioned  by  that  body,  and  provisions  made  for  strength- 
ening Oswego,  and  for  the  farther  promotion  of  commerce 
with  the  Indians.^  <    .      . 


•'-  .^i 


iM 


m 


1  Irondequot,  now  well  known  as  an  inlet,  or  bay,  a  few  miles  enst  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Genesee  river, —  the  place  where  Denonville  landed  In  Lia 
memorable  expedition  against  the  Senecas,  half  a  century  before. 

*  yiie  Legislative  Journals.  Also  Smith's  History  of  New  York.  At  the 
session  of  the  Assembly,  October  thirteenth,  of  this  year,  the  council  hav- 
ing sent  a  message  to  the  house  by  the  hand  of  a  deputy  clerk,  a  message 
was  transmitted  bauk,  signifying  that  the  houso  considered  such  a  course 
disrespectful.  Until  that  time,  messages  had  been  conveyed  between  tlic 
houses,  with  bills,  resolutions,  &c.,  br  the  hands  of  their  members  respect- 


;i!' 
m 


LIFK  OF  SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   DART. 


39 


During  the  greater  part  of  the  year  1738  but  little  at-  chap. 
tention  was  paid  to  Indian  affaire, —  the  principal  hiatorieal  v_^^ 
incident  of  that  year  being  the  memorable  contested  elec-  ^'^^^• 
tion  between  Adolphe  Philipse  and  Gerret  Van  Home,  in 
connection  with  which,  owing^  to  the  extraordinary  skill 
and  eloquence  of  Mr.  Smith,  father  of  the  historian,  and  of 
counsel  for  Van  Home,  the  Hebrew  freeholders  of  the  city 
of  New  York,  from  which  place  both  parties  claimed  to 
have  been  returned  to  the  assembly,  were  most  unjustly 
disfranchised,  on  the  ground  of  their  religious  creed,  and 
their  votes  rejected.^  The  colony  was  greatly  excited  by 
this  question,  and  the  persuasive  powers  exerted  by  Mr. 
Smith,  are  represented  to  have  been  wonderful, —  equal- 
ling, probably,  if  not  surpassing,  those  of  Andrew  Ham- 
ilton, four  years  previously,  in  the  great  libel  case  of  the 
Zengers, —  and  possibly  not  excelled  even  by  Patrick  Hen- 
ry, a  few  years  afterward,  when  he  dethroned  the  reason 
of  the  court,  and  led  captive  the  jury,  in  the  great  tobacco 
case  in  Virginia.'       "■  ■'i!?-'--;--  '">''  '^'  ';■•<••''>;'  "     ■    *  "•  ■■ 

Yet  the  movements  of  the  Indians,  and  the  designs  of 
the  French  in  Canada  were  not  entirely  overlooked.  On 
the  thirteenth  of  October,  the  general  assembly  being  in 
session,  the  lieutenant-governor  summoned  the  house  be- 
fore him,  and  announced  the  receipt  of  intelligence  of  a 
design  by  the  French,  to  establish  themselves  at  the  carry- 
ing-place upon  "Wood  creek,  between  the  head,  or  south- 


i 


Wely.  The  house  uor  sidered  the  sending  of  a  clerk  an  innovation  upon 
their  privileges  ;  and  Col.  Phillipse,  Mr.  Verplank,  and  Mr.  Johnson,  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  wait  upon  the  council  and  demand  satisfaction. 
The  council  healed  the  matter  by  a  conciliatory  resolution,  declaring  that 
no  disrespect  had  been  intended. 

1  For  an  animated  account  of  this  celebrated  case,  drawn,  however,  by 
the  partial  hand  of  a  son  writing  of  his  father,  see  Smith's  History,  vol.  ii. 


•See  Wirt's  Life  of  Patrick  Henry. 


40 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


u  1 


li  I 


r  ''I 


Ijli 


CHAP,  em  end  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  the  Hudson  river,'  and 
s-v— .  calling  for  means  to  enable  him  to  build  a  fort  and  plant 
1788.  a  colony  of  settlers  there  for  the  defence  of  the  northern 
frontier,  to  be  composed  of  emigrants  from  North  Bri- 
tain.' The  lieutenant-governor  also  announced,  in  the 
same  speech,  that  a  delegation  of  the  Senecas  had  de- 
parted for  Quebec,  to  treat,  as  it  was  understood,  with  M. 
Beauharnois,  then  the  governor  of  Canada,  with  a  view, 
after  all,  of  allowing  the  French  to  plant  themselves  in  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Tierondequot, —  a  measure  which, 
said  the  speech,  "would  put  an  end  to  the  Oswego  trade." 
In  conclusion  the  lieutenant-governor  asked  for  an  appro- 
priation of  money  to  enable  him  to  frustrate  their  designs, 
and  to  make  another  effort  for  the  purchase  of  the  Tieron- 
dequut.  The  assembly  having  been  suddenly  dissolved  a 
few  days  subse':[uent  to  the  delivery  of  this  speech,  no 
steps  were  taken  in  reference  to  either  of  its  recommenda- 
tions, and  they  were  each  pressed  urgently  upon  the  ne-v 
assembly  summoned  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year,  1739. 

1  The  Wood  creek  here  mentioned  is  altogether  a  different  stream  from 
that  spoken  of  a  few  pages  back,  at  the  Mohawk  carrjing-place,  which 
leads  into  the  Oneida  lake.  These  duplicated  names  are  apt  to  create 
confusion.  The  present  town  of  Whitehall  stands  upon  the  Wood  creek 
spoken  of  here  in  the  text,  which  pours  into  Lake  Champlain. 

*  The  North  Britons  here  spoken  of,  whom  Mr.  Clarke  proposed  colonii- 
ing  at  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain,  were  a  company  of  between  four  and 
five  hundred  adult  Highlanders,  with  their  children,  who  had  been  brought 
to  the  colony  by  Captain  Laughlin  Campbell,  in  the  expectation  of  settling 
them  upon  a  manor  of  thirty  thousand  acres  of  land,  which  Le,  Campbell, 
alledged  had  been  promised  him  by  the  lieutenant-governor, —  Campbell, 
who  was  a  Highland  chief,  calculating  to  become,  as  it  were,  "lord  of  the 
manor."  Smith  roundly  asserts  that  Clarke  had  stipulated  to  make  the 
grant  to  Campbell ;  but  the  statement  was  contradicted  by  Dr.  Colden,  who 
was  at  the  time  in  question  a  member  of  the  executive  council.  Certain  it 
is,  however,  that  Campbell  had  the  emigrants  with  him  in  New  York ;  yet 
Colder  says  that  many  of  them  came  out  at  their  own  expense,  and  that  no 
more  land  had  been  promised  to  Campbell  than  he  could  bring  into  culti- 
vation. Be  this  as  it  may,  the  disappointment  of  the  emigrants  was  great, 
and  they  suffered  much  keen  distress  before  they  could  take  care  of  them- 
selves. 


II I 


■' .:  i'l 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BAKT. 


41 


The  years  1738  and  1739,  were  marked  by  increasing  chap- 
political  excitement,  and  the  dividing  line  of  parties,  in-  w^ 
volving  the  great  principles  of  civil  liberty  on  the  one  17*8. 
side,  and  the  prerogatives  of  the  crown  on  the  other, 
were  more  distinctly  drawn,  perhaps,  than  at  any  antece- 
dent period.  The  administrations  of  the  earlier  English 
governors,  Nicholls  and  Lovelace,  were  benevolent,  and 
almost  parental.  Andross,  it  is  true,  was  a  tj^rant ;  and 
during  his  administration  parties  were  formed,  as  in  Eng- 
land, upon  the  mixed  questions  of  politics  and  religion, 
which  dethroned  the  last  and  most  bigoted  of  the  Stuarts, 
and  brought  William  and  Mary  upon  the  throne.  Don- 
gan,-  however,  the  last  of  the  Stuaii;  governers  in  New 
Tork,  although  a  Roman  Catholic,  was  nevertheless  mild 
in  the  administration  of  the  government,  and  a  gentleman 
in  his  feelings  and  manners.  It  was  upon  his  arrival  in 
the  autumn  of  1683,  that  the  freeholders  of  the  colony 
were  invested  with  the  right  of  choosing  representatives 
to  meet  the  governor  in  general  assembly.^  For  nearly 
twenty  years  subsequent  to  the  revolution  of  1689,  the 
colony  was  torn  by  personal,  rather  than  political  factions, 
having  their  origin  in  the  controversy  which  compassed 
the  judicial  murder  of  the  unhappy  Leisler  and  his  son- 
in-law  Milbome.  These  factions  dying  out  in  the  lapse 
of  years,  other  questions  arose,  the  principal  of  which 
was  that  important  one  which  always,  sooner  or  later, 
springs  up  in  every  English  colony, —  involving,  on  the 

1  Two  years  previous  to  the  arrival  of  Dongan,  the  aldermen  of  New 
York,  and  the  justices  of  the  peace  of  the  court  of  assize,  in  consequence 
of  the  tyranny  of  Andross,  had  petitioned  the  duke  that  the  people  might 
be  allowed  to  participate  in  the  affairs  of  the  government  by  the  construc- 
tion of  a  general  assembly,  in  which  they  might  be  represented.  Through 
the  interposition  of  William  Penn,  who  enjoyed  the  favor  both  of  the  king 
and  the  duke,  the  point  was  yielded,  and  Colonel  Dongan  was  instructed  to 
allow  the  people  a  voice  in  the  government.  Greatly  to  the  joy  of  the  in- 
habitants, therefore,  who  had  become  turbulent,  if  not  disaffected,  under  the 
despotic  rule  of  Andross,  writs  were  issued  to  the  sheriffs  summoning  the 
freeholders  to  choose  representatives  to  meet  the  |iew  governor  in  assembly 
on  the  seventeenth  of  October,  1688. 
6 


42 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHlfBON,   BART, 


iOi 


fi 


!l! 


CHAP,  one  hand,  as  I  havp  already  remarked,  the  rights  of  the 
w^,—/ people,  and  on  the  other  the  claims  of  the  crown.  luv 
1788.  riably,  almost,  if  not  quite,  the  struggle  is  origii-itted  npoc 
some  question  of  revenue,r=r- either  in  the  levying  thereof, 
or  in  its  disposition,  or  both.  Thus  in  the  origin  of  those 
I  ilitical  parties  in  New  York,  which  continued  with 
greater  or  less  acrimony  until  the  separation  from  the 
parent  country,  Sloughter  and  Fletcher  had  both  en- 
deavored to  obtain  grants  of  revenue  to  the  crown  for 
life,  but  had  failed.  Subsequently  grants  had  been  occa- 
sionally made  to  the  officers  of  the  crown  for  a  term  of 
years ;  but  latterly,  especially  during  the  administration 
of  Governor  Cosby,  the  general  assembly  had  grown  more 
refractory  upon  the  subject, — pertinaciously  insisting  that 
they  would  vote  the  salaiies  for  the  officers  of  the  crown 
only  with  the  annual  supplies.  This  was  a  principle  which 
the  governors,  as  the  representatives  of  the  crown,  felt 
bound  to  resist,  as  being  an  infiingement  of  the  royal  pre- 
rogative. Henceforward,  therefore,  until  the  colony  cast 
off  its  allegiacce,  the  struggle  in  regard  to  the  revenue, 
and  its  disposition,  was  almost  perpetually  before  the  peo- 
ple, in  one  form  or  another ;  and  in  some  years,  owing  to 
the  obstinacy  of  the  representatives  of  the  crown  on  one 
side,  and  the  inflexibility  of  the  representatives  of  the 
people  on  the  other,  supplies  were  not  granted  at  all.  Mr. 
Clarke,  although  he  had  the  address  to  throw  off,  or  to 
evade,  the  difficulty,  for  the  space  of  two  years,  was  never- 
theless doomed  soon  to  encounter  it.  Accordingly,  in  his 
speech  to  the  assembly  at  the  autumnal  session  of  1788, 
he  complained  that  another  year  had  elapsed  without  any 
provision  being  made  for  the  support  of  his  ratgesty's  go- 
vernment in  the  province, —  the  neglect  having  occured 
by  reason  of  "  a  practice  not  warranted  by  the  usage  of 
any  former  general  assemblies."  He  therefore  insisted 
strongly  upon  the  adoption  of  measures  for  the  payment 
of  salaries ;  for  the  payment  of  the  public  creditois ;  and 
for  the  general  security  of  the  public  credit  by  the  ciea- 


..  awowum 


n 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


of  the 
Inv 
te4  wpoc 

thereof, 

of  those 
ed  with 
■rom  the 
both  en- 
rown  for 
Jen  occa- 
,  term  of 
dstration 
•wn  more 
ting  that 
le  crown 
)lo  which 
jwn,  felt 
'oyal  pre- 
lony  cast 
revenue, 
)  the  peo- 
owing  to 
n  on  one 
Bs  of  the 
tall.  Ml", 
off,  or  to 
^as  never- 
Ij,  in  his 
of  1788, 
hout  any 
jsty's  go- 

occured 
usage  of 

insisted 
payment 
01  s;  and 
the  ciea- 


43 


CHAP. 


tion  of  a  sinking  fund  for  the  redemption  of  the  bilh 

the  colony,. ra-%u^'!kU:n^i^'e(m'  *J4-  --jy^ii^tf  nf^'il  ••irf'i>j&.'.  ir-j<>— v— ' 

The  assembly  was  refractory.  Instead  of  complying  ^'^^^' 
with  the  demands  of  the  lieutenant-governor,  the  house 
resolved  unanimously  that  they  would  grant  no  supplies 
upon  that  principle ;  and  in  rega.'d  to  a  sinking  fund 
for  the  redemption  of  the  bills  of  credit  afloat,  they  re- 
fused any  other  measure  than  a  continuance  of  the  exist- 
ing excise.  These  spirited  and  peremptory  resolutions 
gave  high  offence  to  the  representative  of  the  crown ; 
and  on  the  day  fcllov/iiig  their  adoption,  the  assembly 
was  summoned  to  the  fort,  and  dissolved  by  a  speech,  de- 
claring the  said  resolutions  "to  be  such  presumptuous, 
darug,  and  unprecedented  steps  that  he  could  not  look 
upon  them  but  with  astonishment,  nor  could  he  with 
honor  suffer  their  authors  to  sit  any  longer."       n^r'  .*'     "'3 

The  temper  of  the  new  assembly,  summoned  in  the  ^'^''• 
spring  of  the  succeeding  year,  1739,  was  no  more  in  unison 
with  the  desires  of  the  lieutenant-governor,  than  that  of 
the  former.  The  demand  for  a  permanent  supply  bill 
was  urged  at  several  successive  sepsions,  only  to  be  met 
with  obstinate  refasals.  The  second  session,  held  in  the 
autumn,  was  interrupted  in  October,  by  a  prorogation  of 
several  days,  for  the  express  purpose  of  affording  the 
members  leisf  e  "to  reflect  seriously"  upon  the  line  of 
duty  required  of  them  by  the  exigencies  of  the  country ; 
for,  not  only  was  the  assembly  resolutely  persisting  in  the 
determination  to  make  only  annual  grants  of  supplies,  but 
they  were  preparing  to  trench  yet  farther  upon  the  royal 
prerogative,  by  insisting  upon  specific  applications  of  the 
revenue,  to  be  inserted  in  the  bill  itself.  Mean.ime,  on  the 
thirteenth  of  October,  the  lieutenant-governor  brought  the 
subject  of  his  differences  with  the  assembly  formally  be- 
fore his  privy  council.  In  regard  to  the  new  popular 
movement  of  this  assembly,  insisting  upon  a  particular 
application  of  the  revenues  to  be  gra,nted  in  the  body  of 
the  act  for  the  support  of  the  government,  the  lieutenant- 
governor  said  they  had  been  moved  to  that  determination 


»«itm<«<Miiriiim»»» 


ill' I 


44 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WIILIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


: 


:i!l : 


i  I 


I  ^:i 


\  m 


OHAP.  by  the  example  of  New  Jersey,  where  an  act  of  that  nature 
«-,,—/ had  lately  oen  passed.  He  was  unwilling  to  allow  any 
1789.  encroachment  upon  the  rights  of  the  crown.  Yet,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  defenceless  situation  of  the  colony,  he 
felt  uneasy  at  such  a  turn  of  affairs ;  and  not  being  dis- 
posed to  revive  old  animosities,  or  to  create  new  ones  by 
another  summary  dissolution,  he  asked  the  advice  of  the 
council.  The  subject  was  referred  to  a  committee,  of 
which  the  Hon.  Daijiel  Horsmanden,  an  old  member  of 
the  council,  was  chairman.  This  gentleman  was  one  of 
the  most  sturdy  supporters  of  the  royal  prerogative ;  but, 
in  consequence  of  the  existing  posture  of  aftairs,  and  the 
necessity  of  a  speedy  provisi  on  for  the  public  safety,  the 
committee  reported  unanimously  against  a  dissolution. 
They  believed,  also,  that  the  assembly,  and  the  peo- 
ple whom  they  represented,  had  the  disputed  point  so 
much  at  heart  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  do  busi- 
ness with  them  unless  it  was  conceded;  and,  besides,  it 
was  argued,  should  a  dissolution  take  place,  there  was  no 
reason  for  supposing  that  the  next  assembly  would  be  less 
tenacious  in  asserting  the  offensive  principle.  Since,  more- 
over, the  governor  of  New  Jersey  had  yielded  the  point, 
the  committee  advised  to  the  same  course  in  New  York.^ 
The  point  was  conceded ;  and  the  effect,  for  the  moment, 
was  to  produce  a  better  state  of  feeling  in  the  assembly. 
Supplies  were  granted,  but  only  for  the  year ;  and  various 

1  See  the  old  minutes  of  the  executive  or  privy  council,  in  manuscript,  in 
the  Hocretary  of  state's  office  in  Albany.  To  avoid  confusion  hereafter,  it 
may  be  well  to  state  in  this  connection,  that  tho  council  acted  in  a  two-fold 
capacity :  first,  as  advisary ;  second,  as  legislative.  "  In  the  first,"  says 
Smith,  in  ^is  chapter,  entitled  Political  State,  they  are  a  privy  council  to 
the  gover  .or."  When  thus  acting  they  are  often  called  the  executive  or  his 
majesty's  council.  Hence,  privy  council  and  executive  council  are  synoni- 
mouB.  During  the  session  of  the  legislature,  however,  the  tame  council  sat 
(without  the  presence  of  the  governor)  as  a  legislative  council;  and  in 
such  capacity  exercised  the  same  functions  as  the  senate  of  the  present 
day  —  so  far  as  regards  the  passing  of  laws.  The  journals  of  this  last  or 
legislative  council  have  recently  been  published  by  the  state  of  New  York 
under  the  su'>srv!si'^a  of  Dr,  B-  B,  O'Callashan. 


LIPK  OF  Sm  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


46 


iippropriationB  were  made  for  placing  the  colony  in  a  pes-  chap. 
ture  of  defence.  The  Mohawks,  among  other  things,  re-  v—^-^ 
quired  either  that  the  dilapidated  defences  of  Dyiondar  ga  1^89. 
(Fort  Hunter)  should  be  repaired  or  rebuilt,  and  that  a 
garrison  should  be  continued  there,  under  a  threat  of 
leaving  their  own  country  and  removing  into  Canada; 
and  they  w-e  considered  of  too  much  importance  as  a 
line  of  defence  against  the  French,  to  allow  their  demand 
in  this  respect  to  be  disregarded.  nw  .«vvf  ibyi  ^i^v,;,-'  .  ' 
But  it  is  seldom  that  the  wheels  of  revolution  roll  back- 
ward, and  the  concession  which  allowed  the  general  as- 
sembly to  prescribe  the  application  or  disposition  of  the 
supplies  they  voted,  ever  before  claimed  as  the  legal 
and  known  prerogative  of  the  crown,  appeased  the  popu- 
lar party  only  for  a  very  short  time.  Indeed,  nothing  is 
more  certain,  whether  in  monarchies  or  republics,  than  that 
the  governed  are  never  satisfied  with  concessions,  while 
each  successful  demand  only  increases  the  popular  clamor 
for  more.  Thus  was  it  in  the  experience  of  Mr.  Clarke.  It 
is  true,  indeed,  that  the  year  1740  passed  without  any  direct  1740. 
collision  upon  the  question  of  prerogative ;  although  at 
the  second  short  session  of  that  year,  the  speech  alleged 
the  entire  exhaustion  of  the  revenue,  and  again  demanded 
an  ample  appropriation  for  a  term  of  years.  But  the  con- 
troversy was  re-opened  at  the  spring  session  of  the  follow- 
ing year,- — 1741, — on  which  occasion  the  lieutenant-go v- 1741. 
emor  delivered  a  speech,  long,  beyond  precedent,  and 
enumerating  the  grievances  of  the  crown  by  reason  of  the 
continued  encroachments  of  the  general  assembly.  The 
speech  began  by  an  elaborate  review  of  the  origin  and 
progress  of  the  difficulties  that  had  existed  between  the 
representatives  of  the  crown  and  the  assembly,  in  respect 
to  the  granting  of  supplies, —  evincing  —  such,  indeed,  is 
the  inference, —  a  want  of  gratitude  on  the  part  of  the 
latter,  in  view  of  the  blessings  which  the  colony  had  en- 
joyed under  the  paternal  care  of  the  government  since 
the  rf  volution  of  1688.  But  it  wa»  not  in  connection  with 
the  supplies,  only,  that  the  assembly  had  invaded  the 


i6 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


!         1 


!       i 


ill 


CHAP,  rights  of  the  crown.  It  was  the  undoubted  prerogative  of 
v_^  the  crown  to  appoint  the  treasurer.  Yet,  the  assembly  had 
1741.  demanded  the  election  of  that  officer.  Not  satisfied  with 
that  concession,  they  had  next  claimed  the  right  of  choos- 
ing the  auditor-general.  Failing  in  that  demand,  they  had 
sought  to  accomplish  their  object  by  withholding  the  sala- 
ry from  that  officer.  These  encroachments,  he  said,  had 
been  gradually  increasing  from  year  to  year,  until  appre- 
hensions had  been  seriously  awakened  in  England  *'  that 
the  plantations  are  nr*  without  thoughts  of  throwing  off 
their  dependence  on  the  crown."  He,  therefore,  admon- 
ished the  assembly  to  do  away  such  an  impression  *'  by 
giving  to  b's  majesty  such  a  revenue,  and  in  such  a  man- 
ner, as  will  enable  him  to  pay  his  own  offic  rs  and  serv- 
ants," as  had  been  done  from  the  revolution,  down  to  the 
year  1709  —  during  which  period  the  colony  was  far  less 
able  to  bear  such  a  burden  than  now.^ 

Thus  early  and  deeply  were  those  principles  striking 
root  in  America,  which  John  Hampden  had  asserted,  and 
poured  out  his  blood  to  defend,  in  the  great  ship-money 
contest  with  Charles  I., —  which  brought  that  unhappy 
monarch  to  the  block, —  and  which, —  fulfilling  the  ap- 
prehensions of  Mr.  Clarke, —  thirtA-five  years  ai'terward, 
separated  the  colonies  from  the  British  crown ; —  although 
in  the  answer  of  the  house  to  the  '*  insinuation  of  a  sus- 
•  '  picion"  of  a  desire  for  independence,  with  real  or  aifected 
gravity,  they  "  vouched  that  not  a  single  person  in  the 
colony  had  any  such  thoughts;  adding — "for  under  what 
government  can  we  be  better  protected,  or  our  liberties  or 
properties  so  well  secured?"'  ""■'  '.  ^i  i  r  •  .i  -  vr 
The  Indian  relations  of  the  colony  were  not  forgotten 


*  Vide  Journals  of  the  Colonial  Assembly,  vol.  i,  Hugh  Qaine's  edition. 
This  (1741),  was  the  year  in  which  the  chapel,  barracks,  secretary's  office, 
&c.,  of  Fort  George  (the  Battery),  were  burnt,  and  the  speech  referred  to 
in  the  text,  asl^ed  an  appropriation  for  their  rebuilding  —  but  without  suc- 


cess. 
*  Smith,  ToL  ii. 


'.r\ 


-i«iimi«i'»iiii*'ii'' 


LIFE   OP   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSOX,   BAIIT. 


47 


at  any  time  by  Mr.  Clarke.  The  Mohawks  hr.ving  re- chap. 
quested  an  appropriation  for  the  rebuilding  of  their  chapel,  w y— . 
the  attention  of  th.e  assembly  was  invited  lo  the  subject,  ^'*^- 
and  tbe  occasion  was  improved  to  bestow  a  well-deserved 
compliment  to  the  English  missionary  among  that  people 
—  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barclay,  A;/ho,  it  was  said,  "had  opened  a  - 
glorious  prospect  of  spreading  the  Christian  faith  and 
worship  throughout  the  Six  Nations." '  The  assembly 
declined  making  the  grant — alleging  that  if  the  Christian 
converts  in  that  nation  were  increasing,  the  funds  required 
for  a  aew  chapel  should  be  raised  by  private  contributions. 
But  there  were  other  considerations  connected  with  the 
Indian  policy,  which  it  would  not  answer  to  neglect.  War 
had  been  declared  by  the  parent  government  against 
Spain ;  and  lively  apprehensions  were  entertained  of  an 
approaching  rupture  with  France.  In  anticipation  of  such 
an  event,  fortifications  were  required  for  the  security  of 
the  harbor  of  New  York,  and  also  for  the  defence  of  the 
frontiers — particularly  of  Oswego, —  to  the  importance  of 
strengthening  which  the  lieutenant-governor  repeatedly 
called  the  attention  of  the  assembly.  In  the  event  of  a 
vvar  with  France,  he  was  greatly  apprehensive  that  this 
post  would  be  taken,  in  which  case  there  was  reason  to 
fear  from  the  temper  of  late  manifested  by  the  Six  Na- 
tions, that  they  would  all  fall  away  to  the  enemy.  In  this 
emergency,  appropriations  were  asked  to  enable  the  lieu- 
tenant-governor to  convoke  a  grand  council  of  the  Con- 
federates at  Albany,  which  was  accordingly  held  in  the 

^  The  missionary  thus  mentioned  in  the  text,  was  the  Bev.  Henry  Barclay, 
afterward  a  doctor  of  divinity,  auu  rector  of  Trinity  Church  in  the  city  of 
New  York.  He  was  a  native  of  Albany,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  of  the 
year  1784.  He  received  orders  in  England ;  and  after  several  years'  service 
in  the  Mohawk  country,  as  a  missionary,  was  called  to  New  York.  The 
translation  of  the  litugy  into  the  Mohawk  language,  was  made  under  his 
direction,  and  that  of  Rev.  W.  Andrews  and  the  Rev.  J.  Ogilvie.  Mr. 
Ogilvie  succeeded  him  both  in  the  mission,  and  also,  on  his  decease,  in 
Trinity  Church.    Mr.  Barclay  died  in  1765. 


48 


LIFB  OP   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


1741. 


1' 
il 

! 

:  i 

■  1 

i; 

V. 

i 

1 

1 

'i 

:\\ 


CHAP,  month  of  August.     The  lieutonant-governor'a  opening 
speech  to  tlie  assemblage  of  sachems  and  warriors  was 
both  happily  conceived  and  expressed  —  creditable  alike 
to  his  head  and  his  heart.     After  an  apology  for  not  liav- 
ing  met  them  at  an  earlier  day,  in  consequence  of  the 
prevalence  of  the  small-pox  in  New  York,  the  infection 
of  which  he  was  apprehensive  might  be  conveyed  among 
tlieir  people,  he  admonished  them  against  the  dangers 
arising  from  the  propensity  of  their  young  warriors  to 
join  the  Indians  in  the  interest  of  the  French,  in  their 
hostile  oxpedxtious  again^^  tae  more  distant  tribes  of  their 
own  kindred.     The  enticing  of  their  young  men  in  those 
expeditions,  he  argued,  was  an  artful  device  of  the  French 
to  divide  and  weaken  them.     "When  united,"  said  he, 
"  you  are  like  a  strong  rope,  made  of  many  strings  and 
threads  twisted  together,  but  when  separated,  weak  and 
easily  broken.     Thus  they  attempt  to  divide  and  weaken 
you,  by  leading  your  rash  young  men  upon  their  distant 
wars.    They  hope  so  to  weaken  you  by  degrees,  as  by  and 
by  to  be  able  to  conquer  you.     If  they  were  lovers  of 
liberty  themselves,  they  ought  not  to  try  to  enslave  other 
nations."        /•■  ■'..'>..•.    -.-1!.^..^.  ,.!■„   .■.,'    .  .^/txC.t     ,;:• 

It  was  doubtless  owing  in  a  great  measure  to  this  spe- 
cies of  intercourse  between  the  Iroquois  and  the  Indians 
on  the  Canadian  side  of  the  line,  that  the  former  were  so 
frequently  disposed  to  join  the  French  —  a  disposition  re- 
quiring so  many  largesses,  and  so  much  tact  and  activity 
to  counteract.    The  lieutenant-governor  likewise  drew  a 
contrast  between  the  tyrannical  and  overbearing  conduct 
of  the  French  toward  the  Indians,  as  compared  with  the 
liberal  and  humane  treatment  which  the  red-men  had  al- 
ways received  at  the  hands  of  the  English.   Whether  that 
contrast  was  in  all  respects  a  just  one,  it  were  bootless 
now  to  inquire.     ',,',,   .    .....       ,,  ^^,,'^"  ,..>.  t„„   .,  .. 

,1  In  the  course  of  the  speech,   the  lieutenant-governor 
attempted  to  impart  to  the  sachems  and  warriors  some 


LIFE  OF   SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


49 


wholesome  lessons  of  filial  piety,  and  to  infuse  into  their  chap, 
hearts  some  iuater  and   loftier  notions  of  true  courage  wy—* 

1  74II 

than  were  prevalent  among  that  rude  people.  He  endea- 
vored to  impress  it  upon  their  minds  that  wars  upon  wo- 
men and  children  were  the  opposite  of  brave,  and  that  the 
scalps  of  such  when  brought  in  from  the  war-path,  were 
the  trophies  of  cowards.  He  also  exhorted  them  to  aban- 
don the  cruelties  practiced  by  their  people  in  war  —  re- 
minding them  that  the  cruelties  they  inflicted  upon  others, 
were  sure  in  the  end  to  be  visited  upon  themselves  in 
return;  and  in  again  admonishing  them  against  their 
associations  with  tho  French,  he  reminded  them  of  the 
fact,  that  in  some  of  tiieir  distant  expeditions  in  company 
with  the  Indians  in  that  interest,  they  had  been  compelled 
to  strike  the  heads  of  their  own  remote  i.ilies,  and  some- 
times it  had  been  proved  that  they  had  struck  down  their 
own  people  —  probably  unawares. 

In  connection  with  thifc  intimacy  with  the  French,  Mr. 
Clarke  complained  that  some  of  the  Onondaga  chiefs  had 
even  been  to  converse  with  the  governor  of  Canada,  after 
the  council  they  were  then  holding  had  been  summoned. 
Still,  he  thanked  them  for  the  disposition  they  had  shown 
to  keep  the  path  open  to  the  trading-post  at  Oswego,  and 
complimented  them  for  their  wisdom  in  keeping  the 
French  from  Tierondequot.  In  conclusion  he  informed 
them  that  he  had  it  in  charge  from  the  great  king  their 
father,  to  negotiate  a  general  peace  among  all  the  Indians, 
so  that  they,  with  all  the  red-men  south  and  west  to  the 
great  Mississippi,  should  form  a  mighty  chain,  strong  and 
bright.    This  work,  he  said,  he  was  determined  to  do. 

The  sachems  were  shrewd  in  their  replies.  In  regard 
to  Oswego,  they  wished  "  their  brother  Oorlaer,*  would 

1  The  name  or  title  by  which  the  Six  Nations  always  designated  the  Eng- 
lish governors  of  New  York.  The  original  Colaer  was  a  German  trader 
greatly  beloved  by  the  Six  Nations.  He  was  drowned  in  Lak«  Champlain 
while  on  one  of  his  trading  trips. 


01  LIPS  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 

CHAP,  make  powder  and  loud  ctieapcr  there,  and  pay  the  ludluny 
w>J-- better  for  helping  to  build  their  houses."  Of  the  Tieron- 
^7^^-  dequot  matter  they  replied :  "  You  said  that  we  had  acted 
very  wisely  in  not  suliering  the  French  to  settle  at  Tie- 
rondequot,  and  that  if  they  only  had  liberty  to  build  a 
fishing-hut  tlier»v  they  would  soon  build  a  fort  We  per- 
ceive thai  both  yui  tui  the  Drench  intend  to  settle  that  place,  but 
we  are  fully  resolved  that  neither  you  nor  they  shall  do  it.  There 
is  a  jealousy  between  you  and  the  governor  of  Canada.  K 
either  should  settle  there  it  would  breed  mischief.  Such  near 
neighbors  can  never  agree.  We  think  that  the  trading- 
houses  at  Oswego  and  Niagara  are  near  enough  to  each 
other."  Touching  the  simile  of  the  rope,  they  said  it  was 
their  desire  to  make  it  strong  by  preserving  friendship 
with  as  many  nations  as  hey  could.  "As  our  great  father 
the  great  king  has  commanded  us  that  we  should  be  as 
one  flesh  and  blood  with  the  Indians  to  the  southward  and 
westward  as  far  as  the  Mississippi,  so  we  accept  of  them  as 
brethren,  that  we  may  be  united  as  one  heart  and  one 
flesh,  according  to  the  king's  commandment.  But  we 
desire  that  some  of  the  sachems  of  those  southern  In- 
dians do  come  here,  which  will  strengthen  and  confirm 
this  treaty.  "We  will  give  them  two  years  time  to  come 
in,  and  in  the  mean  time  keep  at-  home  all  our  fighting 
men." 

In  his  rejoinder,  the  lieutenant-governor  told  them  he 
could  perceive  no  necessity  for  any  meeting  between  them 
and  the  chiefs  of  the  south  and  west.  He  was  already 
clothed  with  power  to  conclude  for  them  a  general  peace. 
^  He  farther  informed  them  that  he  had  some  presents  from 
the  governor  of  Virginia,  but  was  instructed  not  to  de- 
liver the  articles  unless  they  first  received  all  the  Indians 
under  his  majesty's  protection  into  the  covenant  chain. 

The  result  of  the  conference,  after  the  chie&  were  made 
to  understand  that  Corlaer  was  empowered  fully  to  treat 
in  behalf  of  the  southern  Indians,  waa,  that  they  agreed  to 


LIFE  OF  Bin  TflLLIAM  JOnNBON,    BAIIT. 


"  ami  cMAf. 


roceivo  them  all  into  tho  covenant  chain, —  adding: 

we  shall  ever  look  upon  them  as  our  own  brethren,  and 

as  our  own  flosh,  as  if  thoy  had  been  born    and  bred    "'' 

amongst  us.     And  as  we  have  never  yet  been  guilty  of 

violating  treaties,  so  you  may  depend  that  we  will  keep 

this  inviolable  to  the  end  of  the  world."' 

The  council  broke  up  amicably,  and  the  Indians,  well 
laden  with  presents,  returned  to  their  homes,  professing  a 
friendship  for  Corlaer  which  was  to  endure  so  long  as  the 
(Ireat  Spirit  should  cause  the  grass  to  grow  and  the  water 
to  run.  But  however  firm  the  grasp  by  which  they  pur- 
posed to  hold  on  to  their  end  of  the  covenant  chuin,  their 
good  resolutions  were  liable  to  be  shaken  by  every  trifling 
circumstance  that  awakened  their  unslumbering  jealousy, 
while  the  hold  upon  the  affections  of  the  Onondagae,  Oa- 
yugas,  and  Senecas,  which  the  Jesuits  retained  tiV  the 
last,  in  all  times  of  peril,  rendered  their  constancy  an  ob- 
ject of  doubtful  solicitude  iu  the  minds  i  ^  le  English. 
Still,  the  pacification  effected  by  Mr.  Claire  contributed 
largely  to  the  repose  of  the  Six  Nations  for  the  two  ensu- 
ing years, — 1741  and  1742.*    The  lieutenant-governor,  it 


1  Unpublished  minutes  of  the  executive  council,  secretary  of  state's  office, 
in  Albany.  ..... 

'  In  the  manuscript  journals  of  the  privy  council  which  have  never  been 
published,  and  which  are  only  to  be  found  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of 
state  in  Albany,  it  is  stated,  under  the  date  of  May  thirty-iirst,  1742,  that 
the  lieutenant-governor  announced  to  tl  council-board  that  he  had  sum- 
moned the  Six  Nations  to  meet  him  in  Al-? ;:)  v,  on  the  seventh  of  June;  but 
that  he  had  not  been  able  tn  nbtain  the  necessary  fiinda  from  the  treasurer  to 
purchase  presents  for  the  Indians.  The  treasurer  nlledged  that  he  had  not 
tlio  money  nor  could  be  obtain  it.  lie  had,  however,  some  other  funds,  to  the 
amount  of  £600,  which  he  offered  to  furnish  toward  the  necessary  supply. 
But  the  li<  atenant-governor  said  he  could  not  go  unless  an  amount  suffi- 
cient to  answer  the  object  could  be  procured.  Whereupon  Mr.  Livingston 
oflFered  to  make  the  nTossary  ndvance.  It  is  not  hovvover  certain  that  the 
council  wa«  held.  Rince  T  iiave  not  been  able  to  find  any  account  of  it  either 
in  the  council  minutes  or  elsewhere. 


52 


LIFE   OP   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


I -I 


i 


III' 


ii 


i  I 


CHAP,  is  true,  adverted  to  the  defenceless  condition  of  tlie  Indian 
N-v— '  frontiers  occasionally  in  his  speeches  to  the  general  assem- 
1741.  ^jy^  especially  to  the  important  post  of  Oswego.  But  the 
popularity  of  Mr.  Clarke  was  rapidly  on  the  wane.  Chief 
Justice  De  Lancy,  the  master  spirit  of  the  council,  having 
rather  abandoned  him,  and  attached  himself  to  the  popu- 
lar party,  managed  to  preserve  a  considerate  coolness  on 
the  part  of  that  body  toward  their  executive  head,  while 
the  house  heeded  but  little  his  recommendations.      • 

The  only  subject  of  local  excitement^  however,  during 
the  year  1741,  was  the  celebrated  plot  supposed  to  have 
been  discovered  on  the  part  of  the  negroes,  to  murder  the 
inhabitants  of  New  York,  and  ravage  and  burn  the  city, — 
an  aflair  which  reflects  little  credit  either  upon  the  dis- 
cernment, or  the  humanity,  of  that  generation. 

The  burning  of  the  public  buildings,  comprising  the 
governor's  residence,  the  secretary's  oflice,  the  chapel  and 
barracks,  in  March,  1741, —  an  occurrence  which  has  al- 
ready been  anticipated  in  a  note  to  a  preceding  page,  was 
first  announced  to  the  general  assembly  by  the  lieutenant- 
governor  as  the  result  of  an  accident, —  a  plumber,  who 
had  been  engaged  upon  some  repairs,  having  left  fire  in 
a  gutter  between  the  house  and  chapel.  But  several  other 
fires  occurring  shortly  afterward,  in  different  parts  of  the 
city, —  some  of  them,  perhaps,  under  circumstances  that 
could  not  readily  be  explained,  suspicions  were  awakened 
that  the  whole  were  acts  of  incendiaries.  Not  a  chimney 
caught  fire,— and  they  were  not  at  that  day  very  well 
swept, — but  the  incident  was  attributed  to  design.  Such 
was  the  case  in  respect  to  the  chimney  of  Captain  "War- 
ren's house,  situated  near  the  ruins  of  the  public  buildings, 
by  the  taking  fire  of  which  the  roof  was  partially  destroyed, 
and  other  instances  might  be  enumerated.  Suspicion,  to 
borrow  the  language  of  Shakespeare,  "hath  a  ready 
tongue,"  and  is  "all  stuck  full  of  eyes,"  which  are  not 


oiiBily  put  to  sleep. 


LIFE   OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BARt. 


8^ 


and  extraordinary,  were  seized  upon  and  brought  together  chap. 
by  comparison,  until  it  became  obvious  to  all  that  there  -"-v— ' 
was  actually  a  conspiracy  for  compassing  such  a  stupen- 
dous  act  of  arson  as  the  burning  of  the  entire  town  and 
murder  of  the  people.  Nor  was  it  long  before  the  plot 
was  fastened  upon  the  negro  slaves  —  then  forming  no  in- 
considerable portion  of  the  population.  A  negro,  with 
violent  gesticulation,  had  been  heard  to  utter  some  terms 
of  unintelligible  jargon,  in  which  the  words  "fire,  fire, 
scorch,  scorch,"  were  heard  articulated,  or  supposed  to  be 
heard.  The  crew  of  a  Spanifcili  ship,  brought  into  the 
port  as  a  prize,  were  sold  into  slavery.  They  were  sus- 
pected of  disaffection,  as  well  they  might  be,  and  yet 
be  innocent;  seized,  and  thrown  into  prison.  Coals 
were  found  disposed,  as  was  supposed,  for  burning  a  hay- 
stack ;  a  negro  had  been  seen  jumping  over  a  fence,  and 
flying  from  a  house  that  had  taken  fire,  in  another  place ; 
and  in  a  word  a  vast  variety  of  incidents,  trifling  and  un- 
important, were  collated,  and  talked  over,  until  universal 
consternation  seized  upon  the  inhabitants,  from  the  high- 
est to  the  lowest.  As  Hume  remarks  of  the  Popish  plot 
in  the  reign  of  Charles  11,  "  each  breath  of  rumor  made 
the  people  start  with  anxiety ;  their  enemies,  they  thought, 
were  in  their  bosoms.  They  were  awakened  from  their 
slumbers  by  the  cry  of  Plot,  and  like  men  affrighted,  and 
in  the  dark,  took  every  figure  for  a  spectre.  The  terror 
of  each  man  became  a  source  of  terror  to  another.  And, 
an  universal  panic  being  diffused,  reason,  and  argument, 
and  common  sense,  and  common  humanity,  lost  all  influ- 
ence over  them."^  A  Titus  Gates  was  found  in  the  per- 
son of  a  poor  Weak  servant-girl  in  a  sailor's  boarding- 
house,  named  Mary  Burton,  who,  after  much  importunity 


1  Quoted  by  Dunlftp,  Who  has  given  a  good  collection  of  facts  respecting 
this  remarkable  plot,  though  not  rendered  into  a  well-digested  narrative. 


If  ! 


ii 


i      "i 


54 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAKT. 


CHAP,  confessed  that  she  had  heard  certain  netgroes,  in  the  pre- 
^-v-^  ceding  February,  conferring  in  private,  for  the  purpose 
of  setting  the  town  on  fire.  She  at  firet  confined  the  con- 
spirators to  blacks ;  but  afterward  sevetal  white  persons 
were  included,  among  whom  were  her  landlord,  whose 
name  was  Hughson,  his  wife,  another  maid-servant,  and  a 
Roman  Catholic  named  Ury.  Some  other  information 
was  obtained  from  other  informers,  and  numerous  arrests 
were  made ;  and  the  several  strong  apartments  in  the  City 
Hall,  called  "the  jails,"  were  crowded  with  prisoners, 
amounting  in  numbers  to  twenty-six  whites  and  above 
one  hundred  and  sixty  slaves.*  Kumerous  executions 
took  place,  upon  the  most  frivolous  and  imsatisfactory  tes- 
timony; but  jurors  and  magistrates  were  alike  panic- 
stricken  and  wild  with  terror.  Among  the  sufferers  were 
Hughson,  his  wife,  and  the  maid-»ervant,  as  also  the  Ro- 
manist Ury,  who  was  capitally  accused,  not  only  as  a  con- 
spirator, but  for  officiating  as  a  priest,  upon  an  old  law  of 
the  colony,  heretofore  mentioned  as  having  been  passed 
at  the  instance  of  Governor  Bellamont,  to  drive  the  Trench 
missionaries  from  among  the  Indians.  "  The  whole  sum- 
mer was  spent  in  the  prosecutions ;  every  new  trial  led  to 
further  accusations :  a  coincidence  of  slight  circumstances 
was  magnified  by  the  general  terror  into  violent  presump- 
.  tions;  tales  collected  without  doors,  mingling  with  the 
proofs  given  at  the  bar,  poisoned  the  minds  of  the  jurors ; 
and  this  sanguinary  spirit  of  the  day  suffered  no  check  until 
Mary,  the  capital  informer,  bewildered  by  frequent  exami- 
nations and  suggestions,  began  to  touch  characters  which 
malice  itself  dared  not  suspect."  Then,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Popish  plot,  and  the  prosecutions  for  witchcraft  in 
Salem,  the  magistrates  and  jurors  began-  to  pause.  But 
not  until  many  had  been  sent  to  their  final  account  by  the 
spirit  of  fanaticism  which  had  bereft  men  of  their  reason, 

I  Smith's  Hutory  of  Nev)  York,  vol,  ii,  pp.  70,  75. 


I 

la 


LIFE   OP   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


55 


as  innocent  of  the  chargCB  laid  against  them  as  the  con-  chap. 
victing  courts  and  jurors  themselves.  Thirteen  negroes «— v— ' 
were  burnt  at  the  stake,  eighteen  were  hanged,  and  sev-  ^'^^' 
enty  transported.* 

1  Smith.  Daniel  Horsmftuden,  the  third  juttioe  of  the  supreme  court, 
published  the  history  of  this  strange  affair  in  a  ponderous  quarto.  He  was 
concerned  in  the  administration  of  the  judicial  proceedings,  however,  and 
wrote  his  history  before  the  delusion  had  passed  away.  Chief  Justice  De 
Lanoey  presided  at  least  at  some  of  the  trials;  and  he,  too,  though  an  able 
and  olear-minded  man,  was  carried  away  by  the  delusion.  ^        .   , 

-  ■•  •!f*'^frf^<r;'Uviff:v;  ■•ilj'  i;?  >■  -r:rr\'';  n  >,!■  r;p;'ff  ^^'-^r^') •■■'■'' 
:"■'':<  -■-■f*:ij;    "H'/nq    '.;;^    ff: ' .'^  n>!r ' ;■ 'O'  •    :.  ■; '':; /'"i^-iir -- '  V-  ■ 
-:livmt:M^   >')V'/    rfvi^t  V/Ki'V"-  'H'  fu;;-.  .  j  <i:l:  ^;f;rHtf  ■'■':'  :•'<■■■■ 

■r-;-'*^-*   •/_?:.;  ■'■.  •■/(";!•'?,:{  I    (•;:;;     ^;[  ■,('?■:  ;;f^^,!Iv'    '    ■<        -    ■• 
■')h^:,,"     j"    "'^    J  ':      i.  I  h' ■}•[:}>';■ '!'    •;ir.i<^r-,    jr     :    -     '.,:• 

•:':r^."')      .'!■;. '-^I***?' '!;!!>/■  ■^'i^^-vh  -qr?'  J;'i  '*■,  J;>:.(t!;r):'rv;  v.:  '-i    •;:!*) 
.rors  'if  '.ir)v\7f  ,'>7i/;?,f'r;    !!  'hv    ^•.  ■'r\,ui-  vli  t:)  ;;■'--;  ;<  i  ^  '..'  ■   ,-' 

l>-  y-     .'•■•>(••  -ii'T'//    ".f^    ■<;jfri     -f\\'^:}   '^*  !^-ii<ir'  if  r    '■      \(      :^r:',(r 

.     ''"'I  fn",Ili;;^  ''..'i(-;?rfh  J<-,'-^l,^'  ->i'^'     tKif'l      .  .  -    ;■     ■  .   ■    •    ' 
■     ./Ytiiif'rf  (^ijf     ')   V  •■'■^r'^'f^  '     't;  :?"  •■>.!;• ':'       y     ■'      -;    , 
■      '■■-  t;  ,:'■)?•;  ;i;T    i\  -(  ■'  :   '.    .:'  '    :-  r/)   '.    ,1      ----:„       ..,• 


i'';.!    1  ;  ( 


•1,   ■•         ,'.■!!   ,    .1. 


.•=i.( 


\  I 


)  ,? 


'i 


111 


I- 

'.    i 


;ii'i 


'H 


iJ 


•  .  '   I 


CHAPTER    II. 
1742—1744. 


..•3 


Ml. 


•if- 


CHAP, 

n. 


1712 


Few  names  in  the  colonial  history  of  the  United  States, 
have  descended  to  the  present  day  Vv  ith  greater  renown, 
than  that  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  Bart.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing its  frequent  occurrence  in  the  annals  of  his  times, 
and  its  intimate  association  with  the  public  affairs  of  the 
country  during  the  period  of  nearly  forty  years  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  American  revolution,  it  may  well  be 
questioned  whether  the  life  and  character  of  any  other 
public  man,  equally  distinguished,  have  been  so  inade- 
quately appreciated,  or  so  imperfectly  understood.  Com- 
ing to  America  at  the  instance  of  a  relative,  when,  if  not 
a  mere  youth  of  fifteen,  he  was  certainly  a  very  young 
man,  he  threw  himself  boldly  into  the  wilderness,  and 
with  but  little  assistance,  became  the  architect  of  his  own 
fortune  and  fame.  From  the  subordinate  station  of  an 
agent  in  charge  of  the  landed  property  of  his  relative,  he 
became  successively  a  farmer,  a  dealer  in  peltries,  a  mer- 
chant, a  government  contractor,  a  general  in  the  armies 
of  his  adopted  country,  and  a  baronet  of  the  British 
realm, —  possessed  of  an  estate  of  great  value,  and  tran- 
scending in  extent  the  broadest  domains  of  the  nobles  of 
his  parent-land.  The  hero  alike  of  veritable  history  and 
of  romance,  his  actual  career  being  withal  more  romantic 
by  far  than  any  of  the  tales  which  the  writers  of  fiction 
have  succeeded  in  inventing  for  him,  his  character, —  fi'om 
the  wild  border-life  which  he  led,  and  from  his  associa- 
tions, both  in  civilized  life  and  as  connected  with  the  In- 
dians, and  the  wonderful  influence  he  acquired  over  the 


'MSS, 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


» 


latter, —  lias  been  invested,  both  in  books  and  by  tradition,  chap. 
with  qualities  strange  and  undefinable, — such  indeed  aswy— ' 
are  believed  to  have  appertained  to  no  other  man  of  his  ^'^*^- 
own,  or  of  any  other  age.^ 

William  Johnson, — afterward  Sir  William  Johnson, 
Bart.,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Christopher  Johnson,  Esquire, 
of  Warrentown,  county  of  Down,  Ireland, — of  a  family 
ancient  in  its  descent,  and  honorable  in  its  alliances.  His 
mother  was  Anne  Warren,  sister  of  the  brothers  Oliver 
and  Peter, —  afterward  Sir  Peter  Warren,  K.  B. —  whose 
names  are  identified  with  the  naval  glory  of  England. 
The  Warrens  were  of  an  old  and  honorable  family,  pos- 
sessing an  estate  in  the  county  of  Down  from  the  first 
arrival  of  the  English  in  Ireland.  Oliver  Warren,  the 
eldest  ton  of  Us  father,  was  a  captain  in  the  royal  navy, 
and  served  with  reputation  during  the  reigns  of  Queen 
Anne  and  George  the  First.^  Peter,  the  youngest  son, 
having  been  trained  to  the  nautical  profession  under  the 
immediate  eye  of  his  brother,  was  appointed  in  the  sum- 
mei*  of  1727,  to  the  command  of  the  Grafton,  one  of  the 
four  ships  of  the  line  sent  out  under  Sir  George  Walton, 
to  join  Sir  Charles  Wager,  then  in  the  Mediterranean 
command.  Captain  Warren  did  not  long  continue  in  the 
Grafton,  having  been  soon  after  his  arrival  at  Gibraltar, 
transferred  to  the  Solebay  frigate,  for  the  purpose  of  car- 
rying to  the  West  Indies  the  orders  of  the  king  of  iSpaiu 


>  See  the  admirable  satire  by  Charles  Johnson,  jntitled  Chryaal,  or  the 
Adventures  of  a  Guinea;  vol.  iii,  book  ii,  obsnsrs  1,  2,  and  8.  The 
Dutchman'  Fireside,  by  Paulding ;  and  also  The  Oipsey,  by  G.  P.  R.  James ; 
to  say  nothing  of  minor  tales  and  romances.  Neither  of  the  writers  of  the 
first  mentioned  thr>2e  works  appears  to  have  understood  the  true  oharaoter 
of  Sir  William  Johnscu  The  satire  in  Chrysal  is  a  gross  exaggeration  of 
the  errors  in  the  baronet's  life.  Paulding"  ^  ei^aggerations  are  equally  great 
ii:  another  respect ;  while  the  delineation  attempted  by  James  i  -.. 'itt«f 
failure. 

»MSS,  of  Sir  WiUiam  Johnson.  :,  -    .  -.,',.. 


'****-<»,«**»**^,^^4**rf»^«»jrf6.'* 


i       ■   'li 


58 


LIPK  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


fili.,  ■■  'lil 


M't 

V'-''  ]ik':'*\--; 


!!) 


:^:J 


Mm 


V\'\^\ 


■«lijl 


Hi'';:: 

"ii'J;.  ii 
,/■!;■  ■',' 


1742. 


CHAP.  i<)r  executing  the  preliminaries  of  peace  agreed  upon  be- 
w.,— '  tween  that  monarch  and  Great  Britain.  He  sailed  upon 
this  service  in  May,  1728 ;  and  having  executed  the  com- 
mission with  which  he  was  c imaged,  in  pursuance  to  his 
instructions,  he  sailed  froii  the  Weat  In  diefrco  South  Caro- 
lina,—  returning  to  England  ir>  v he  followin; v  year.  Im- 
mediately on  his  ar '  val  h<'  vrs  avvoin^..d  to  u  j  Leopard, 
of  fifty  gnxis,  one  ol  the  fleer,  which  during  IL*!  years  1729 
aud  1730,  rendozvoufcied  at  S^^ithead,  under  the  command 
of  )Sii'  Chark!«  Wager.  Captain  Warren  comBianded  the 
Leopard  until  after  ! 785,  in  which  \a:tr  he  <jjcompanied 
Sir  J.  ITorris  to  Lisl>0K. 

This  account  of  the  iuriier  servic-.  f  Sir  Peter  "Warren, 
after  his  promotion  to  the  ('ouioaand  of  a  ship,  has  been 
thuwn  from  Charnock's  Biographia  Navalis,  and  is  con- 
ceived to  be  at  least  not  irrelevant,  from  the  relations 
which  subsisted  between  him  and  the  immediate  subject 
of  these  memoirs.  Dui-ing  the  period  under  considera- 
tion, and  long  afterward,  the  domicil  of  Captain  "Warren 
was  in  the  city  and  colony  of  New  York*    He  married  the 


^The  dwelling-house  No.  1,  Broadway,  formerly  the  residence  of  Na- 
thaniel Prime,  and  now  (1864),  the  Washington  Hotel,  was  built  by  Cap- 
tain Warren.  Neither  pains  nor  expense  were  spared  to  make  it  one  of 
the  finest  mansions  in  this  country.  The  plans  were  all  sent  out  from  Lis- 
bou  The  exterior  and  interior  being  similar  in  every  respect  to  that  of 
the  British  an  bassador  residing  at  the  Portuguese  capital.  The  house 
was  fifty-six  feet  on  Broadway,  and  when  erected,  the  rear  of  the  lot  was 
bounded  by  the  North  river.  Greenwich  s'-reet  was  not  then  open  id  ur 
built — the  North  rivisr  washed  t'  ;ore.  One  room  of  this  edifice  de- 
serves particular  notice,  beicg  the  oanqueting  room,  twenty-six  by  forty, 
and  was  used  on  all  great  occasions.  After  the  British  foroea^ptured  New 
York,  in  the  war  of  the  American  revolution,  being  the  most  prominent 
house,  it  was  the  head-quartc-rs  of  the  distinguished  British  commanders. 
Sir  William  Howe,  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  Sir  Ouy  Carlton,  afterward 
Lord  Dorchester,  all  in  succ^e.  "'u  occupied  tliis  house,  and  it  is  a  memo- 
rable fact  that  the  celebrated  ->r  Andre,  then  adjutant-gfi  jral  of  ^ 
British  forces,  and  aid  to  Sir  -  Clinton,  resided  in  this  house,  >^  ing 

^.-jparted  firom  its  portals  never  to  return, 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


59 


sister  of  James  Be  Lancey,  long  the  chief  justice  of  the  chap. 
colony,  and  for  several  years  lieutenant-governor.'   I  have  ^.v— ' 
not  been  able  to  ascertain  the  time  when  Captain  "Warren  ^^*^' 
Clime  to  America  to  reside.    Equally  difficult,  among  con- 
flicting authorities,  is  the  task  of  fixing  upon  the  date  of 
his  nephew's  arrival  in  this  country.     No  farther  mention 
ia  made  of  Captain  "Warren  in  the  naval  history  of  Eng- 
land from  the  time  of  his  sailing  to  Lisbon,  in  1735,  until 
after  the  rupture  with  Spain,  when,  in  the  year  1741,  he 
was  in  command  of  the  Squirrel,  a  twenty-gun  ship,  on 
the  American  station. 

It  seems  hardly  probable,  from  the  age  of  "Warren,  and 
from  the  active  service  in  which  h«!  Was  engaged,  that  he 
could  have  settled  in  America  at  an  earlier  period  than 
the  year  1735.  He  was  born  in  1704,  and  was  conse- 
quently but  twenty-three  years  of  age  when  appointed  to 
the  command  of  the  Grafton. 

"William  Johnson,  his  nephew,  was  bom  in  the  year 
1715.  According  to  Doctor  Dwight,  as  written  in  his 
travels,  and  according  to  the  biographical  dictionaries  also, 
Mr.  Johnson  was  called  to  America  by  his  uncle.  Sir 
Peter  Warren,  in  the  year  1735,  to  superintend  a  large 
estate  which  the  latter,  shortly  after  his  marriage,  had 
purchased  in  the  Mohawk  valley.  I  have  besides  an 
old  manuscript,   furnished   by  the   Sammons  family  of 

when  he  went  up  the  North  river,  and  arranged  his  treasonable  project 
with  the  traitor  Arnold  at  West  Point. 

'  The  name  of  James  De  Lancey  \frill  be  of  frequent  recurrence  in  the 
progres:)  of  this  work.  He  was  the  son  of  Stephen  De  Lancey,  a  French 
Huguenot  gentleman  from  Caen,  in  Normandy,  who  fled  from  persecution 
in  France.  Settling  in  New  York  in  1686,  he  married  a  daughter  of  M. 
Van  Courllandt,  and  was  thus  connected  with  one  of  the  most  opulent  fami- 
lies in  the  province.  He  was  also  an  active  membei  of  the  house  of  assem- 
bly ilarj  17;  the  administration  of  Governor  Hunter.  His  son  James  was 
S';nt  to  ^'aiiibri(lfi,e  University  (England),  for  his  education;  and  bred  to 
the  prc'''Hnior  of  the  law.  On  boing  elevated  to  the  bench,  such  was  his 
talents  aiu'  application,  he  became  a  very  profound  lawyer. 


wn*iWH.«i—"i*'  l"»i»>mM— *^^*^- 


00 


LIPH  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    BART. 


ill 


m 


i.tiit 


.«:/,. 

■•1^ 


oiup.  Johnstown,  which  fltates  that  tho  young  adventurer  came 
V— V— 'to  America  vnth  Captain  Warren  at  the  age  of  fifteen. 
1742.  ]!^either  of  these  dates,  however,  is  correct,  as  Johnson 
himself  distinctly  states  in  a  letter  written  to  the  lords  of 
trade  under  date  of  October  thirteenth,  1764,  that  he  came 
to  America  in  tho  year  1738.  Johnson  was  then  twenty- 
three  years  of  age ;  and  his  arrival  must  have  been  shortly 
after  the  weak  and  turbulent  administration  of  Governor 
Cosby.  Although  in  the  letter  to  the  lords  of  trade  just 
cited,  the  writer  does  not  state  the  season  of  the  year  in 
which  he  came  to  America,  yet  it  was  probably  in  the 
spring,  since  in  the  full  of  1738,  he  was  already  settled  in 
the  Mohawk  country  and  had  begun  the  cultivation  of  his 
land.  The  document  of  the  earliest  date  which  I  have  found 
among  the  Johnson  manuscripts,  is  a  letter  from  Captain 
Warren  to  his  nephew,  whom  he  familiarly  addresses 
as  *^Dear  Billy."  It  was  dated  at  Boston,  November 
twentieth,  1738,  at  which  place  the  captain  probably 
passed  several  months,  since  he  suggested  a  shipment  of 
wheat,  com,  and  other  farming  produce,  to  be  made  by 
his  nephew  from  Albany  to  his  order  in  Boston,  early  in 
the  following  spring. 

The  estate  purchased  by  Captain  Warren  in  the  Mo- 
hawk country,  heretofore  alluded  to,  consisted  of  a  tract 
of  land  lying  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  near  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Mohawk  and  Schoharie  kill,  called  Warrens- 
bush.  From  the  letter  just  cited,  it  appears  that  young 
Johnson  was  engaged  in  the  double  capacity  of  forming  t'. 
settlement  upon  the  lands  of  his  uncle,  and  bringing  lands 
into  cultivation  for  himself —  keeping,  also,  though  upon 
a  small  scale,  a  country  store,  in  which  his  uncle  was  a 
partner.  But  the  means  of  neither  of  the  parties  could 
have  been  great  at  that  time ;  such  at  least  is  the  inference 
from  the  letter,  which  is  long,  and  abounds  in  many  details 
and  directions,  in  what  was  evidently  at  that  time  a  com- 
paratively limited  business.    The  captain  writes :  "  I  have 


LTFB  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   DAM. 


61 


received  yours  of  the  twenty-sixth  and  thirtieth  of  October,  cha?. 
and  am  ^la  1  to  hear  that  you  are  in  health,  and  go  on  w,— 
briskly  with  your  settlements."  Re8i)ecting  the  means  ^^^^' 
for  prosecuting  the  enterprise,  the  letter  says:  "I  am 
sorry  you  have  been  obliged  to  draw  for  more  on  New 
York  than  I  directed ;  but  as  it  is,  I  presume,  for  goods 
that  will  bring  part  of  the  amount  in  again,  I  am  not  dis- 
pleased with  it ;  yet  I  will  not  go  beyond  two  hundied 
pounds  per  annum  in  making  the  settlement,  and  that  to 
be  complete  in  three  years  from  your  first  beginning, 
which  will  make  the  whole  six  hundred  pounds.  I  desire 
in  your  next  you  will  let  me  know  how  much  you  have 
had  from  New  York  in  money  and  goods."  Sailor  that 
he  was,  the  captain  understood  the  policy  of  cutting  his 
patent  into  small  farms.  "The  smaller  the  farms,"  he 
remarks,  "  the  more  the  land  that  will  be  sbld,  and  the 
better  the  improvements  will  be."  The  captain  had  also 
some  taste  for  horticulture:  "I  hope  you  will  plant  a 
large  orchard  in  the  spring.  It  won't  hinder  your  Indian 
corn,  nor  grass,  as  you  will  plant  your  trees  at  a  great  dis- 
tance." He  had  likewise  taste  and  forecast  ia  the  sub- 
ject of  clearing  lands :  "  As  you  have  great  help  t>ow, 
you  will  girdle  many  acres ;'  in  doinp"  which  I  w<  be 
regular,  and  do  it  in  square  fields,  leaving  hedge-rows  at 
each  side,  which  will  keep  the  land  warm,  be  very  beauti- 
ful, and  subject  you  to  no  more  expense  than  doing  it  in  a 
slovenly,  irregular  manner."    This  prudential  suggestion 

'  "  Girdling  trees,"  is  a  preliminary  process  often  adopted  in  the  clearing 
of  wild  land,  which  facilitates  the  labor  by  relieving  the  ax-man  of  a  part 
of  his  labor.  The  operation  consists  in  making  a  deep  circular  out  around 
the  trunks  of  the  trees  of  any  magnitude,   which  drawb  sap,  and 

causes  the  tree  to  die  in  the  course  of  a  couple  of  years,  ihe  trunks  and 
limbs  of  the  trees,  becoming  dry,  are  then  readily  subject  to  the  action  of 
iire,  and  the  foresters  are  thereby  often  relieved  of  much  heavy  labor ;  while 
by  the  absence  of  the  foliage,  the  earth  has  already  been  partially  warmed 
by  the  sun,  aad  is  in  respect  of  decaying  roots  rendered  much  easier  of 
cultivation. 


If^' 


as 


LIPB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  in  favor  of  leaving  hedgo-rows  of  trees  and  shrubs  for  or- 
*— ^wnament,  proves  that  Captain  Warren  had  not  yet  imbibed 
■  that  vandal  taste  so  characteristic  of  the  early  Anglo- 
American  proprietors,  indtieing  them  to  think  that  the 
liniih  ?ountry,  and  most  beautiful,  from  which  the  timber 
-lud  every  verdant  object  has  been  most  carefully  removed. 
The  following  passage  from  the  letter,  shown  that  the  pa- 
tron and  his  nephew  were  in  a  kind  of  partnership,  in  the 
mercantile  line.  After  enumerating  various  articles  of 
goods,  of  SI  "  nounts,  which  the  captain  had  ordered 
froni  England  and  Ireland,  the  letter  proceeds :  "  You  see 
you  will  have  a  pretty  good  cargo.  The  whole  proceeds 
of  it  must  be  remitted  as  soon  as  possible,  to  be  laid  out 
again,  till  you  with  your  increase  will  have  a  very  large 
store  of  goods  of  all  kinds  proper  for  the  country.  Pray 
let  me  know  what  rum,  and  all  things  sell  for  t  liere,  such 
as  axes,  and  other  wrought  iron.  These  I  woulci  send 
from  hence ;  if  I  found  the  profit  great.  I  would  soon  have 
a  thousand  pounds  worth  of  goods  there."  The  following 
sentence  indicates  that  the  n^  hew  had  al  ;^v  com- 
menced the  fu''-trade,  which  he  afterward  prost  'ted  to 
a  great  extent,  and  doubtless  to  great  profit :  *v  lS  for 
what  skins  you  can  procure,  I  will  send  them  to  Lon  on, 
and  the  produce  of  them  shall  be  sent  you  in  piupur 
g'^odft."  Captain  "Warren,  as  already  stated,  was  brother- 
in-law  to  .Tames  Dc  Lancey,  afterward  chief  justice  of  the 
Tnovinee  ud  subsejquently  lieutenant-governor.  But  the 
date  of  hid  marriage  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.  It 
must,  however,  have  been  some  years  before  that  of  the 
letter  un''or  consideration;  for  in  this  the  captain  re- 
marks: "  My  wife  and  two  laughters  are  very  well."  The 
letter  'iionr  des  thus,  "I  will  send  for  books  for  you  to 
kee  .  ur  r.  ^counts,  which  you  must  do  very  regulaily.  I 
have  no  ni  e  to  add  at  this  time  but  my  service  to  all 
friends  and  to  wish  you  well.     Captain  Nelson,  who,  I 


LIFE   "=•   BIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


hoar,  is  going;  to       jvt  Hunter,'  has  been  so  kind  as  to  chap. 
promise  to  spaiv  yuu  some  muBkets  for  your  house.     If>-^, — - 
he  be  there,  my  service  to  him.     Keep  well  with  all  man-  ^'*** 
kind.    Act  with  honor  and  honesty.     Don't  be  notional, 
as  some    of   our  countrymen   are  often  foolishly;    and 
don't  say  anything  of  the  badness  of  the  patroon's  horses, 
for  it  may  be  taken  amiss.     Ho  is  a  near  relation  of  my 
wife,  and  may  have  it  in  his  power  very  much  to  serve 
you.'    Get  the  best  kind  of  fruit-trees  for  the  orchard,  if 
they  cost  something  more,  and  a  goo^l  nursery  would  not 
be  amiss.     My  love  to  Mick.     Live  like  brothers,  anil  I 
will  be  an  aftectionato  uncle  to  you  both. 

P.  WAKREN." 

Who  was  "  Mick,"  I  do  not  know,  but  his  name  occurs 
twice.  The  fter  itself  forms  a  singular  medley,  in  which 
matters  of  evtry  description  are  set  down  without  arrange- 
ment, just  as  they  came  into  the  mind  of  the  writer.  I 
have  made  the  greater  use  of  it  not  only  because  it  is  the 
only  manuscript  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  from  a  man 
who  afterward  became  illustrious  in  the  service  of  his 
country,  but  also  because  that  while  it  sheds  a  few  glimpses 
of  light  upon  a  portion  of  his  own  private  lifo  H  aftbrds 
authentic  information  as  to  the  comparatively  humble  be- 
ginnings of  one,  whose  career  in  after-life  filled  so  wide  a 
space  in  the  public  eye,  and  whose  name  is  of  such  fre- 
quent and  honorable  record  in  the  history  of  his  adopted 
country. 

Other  testimony  to  the  same  point  might  be  adduced, 
were  it  necessary.     I  have  a  manuscript,  giving  some  ac- 


•Fort  Hunter  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sohcfiario  kill, —  the  site  of  the 
lower  castle  of  the  Mohawks.  The  Indian  name  of  the  place  was  Dyionda- 
rogon. 


'  Mr.  1  Lancey  through  the  Van  Courtlandt  family  was  connected  with 
that  of  the  patroon  of  Albany.  Hence  the  relationship  referred  to  iq  the 
text. 


94 


LIFE   OF   BIB   WILLIAM   JOHn'flW,    BART. 


CHAP,  count  of  Sir  William'H  life,  furnkv.od  by  tho  lute  Thoinns 
w.^—/  Sainiuon«,  who  in  his  boyhood  know  tlie  buronet.  It 
^'^'■^'  spoaks  ot'hia  humble  beginning  ut  WarfUHbush,  but  dates 
hi«  eottlement  there  in  1734,  at  the  ago  of  nineteen;  which, 
for  roanons  already  stated,  muHt  have  been  at  least  four 
years  too  early.  According  to  this  authority,  young  John- 
son was  wont  to  ride  to  mill,  on  horse-back,  with  very  in- 
dilforcnt  equipments,  to  Caughnawaga,  on  the  opposite  or 
north  side  of  tho  river,  distant  from  "Warronsbush  Hftocn 
miles,  llo  sliowed  himself  a  man  of  enterprise  from  the 
first,  clearing  a  large  farm  for  himself,  erecting  a  stort'- 
house,  and  immediately  opening  a  trade  witli  the  white 
inhabitants  and  also  with  tho  Indians.  His  stylo  of  living 
was  plain,  and  his  industry  great.  His  figure  wae  rolmst, 
and  his  deportment  manly  and  commanding.  Yet  he 
made  himself  very  friendly  and  familiar  among  the  peo- 
ple, with  whom  he  mingled  in  their  rustic  sports,  and 
speedily  became  popular.  Of  this  fact  he  was  not  uncon- 
scious himself.  In  a  letter  to  his  uncle,  dated  May  tenth, 
1739,  he  says :  "As  to  my  keeping  in  with  all  people,  you 
may  u  s<ure  yourself  of  it,  dear  uncle,  for  I  dare  say  I  have 
the  good  will  of  all  people  whatsoever,  and  am  much  re- 
spected,—  very  ii^uch  on  your  account, —  and  on  account 
of  my  own  behaviour,  which  I  trust  in  God  shall  always 
continue." 

Young  Johnson  likewise  succeeded,  beyond  all  other 
men,  in  winning  the  confidence  and  aft'oction  of  the  Mo- 
hawk Indians,  whose  most  considerable  town,  Dyiondaro- 
gon,  was  but  a  few  miles  distant.  His  trade  with  them 
had  already  become  considerable,  and  the  spirit  of  enter- 
prise which  was  rapidly  to  raise  him  to  fortune,  was  mani- 
fested in  the  letter  to  his  uncle  just  cited,  wherein  he  thus 
early  spoke  of  opening  a  trading-house  at  Oghkwaga,^ —  a 

>  It  ia  a  perplexing  matter  to  fix  the  orthography  of  Indian  names,  eithur 
of  men,  or  places,  or  things.    For  example,  this  plaoe  is  now  usually 


WB 


LITB  OF  PTR  WTLLIAM   JOHNMtT,   HART. 


Bettlement  of  the  Six  N.itions  on  the  SuHquohanna  river,  ohaf. 
Bomo  two  hundred  miles  Bonth  of  tiic  Mohawk.  The  ad-s-.^,-^ 
vantagefl  of  a  trading  expedition  to  Oghkwaga  he  thought  *^' 
bettor  than  were  ottered  at  Oswego,  where  there  wore 
already  a  parcel  of  mere  wharperrt  in  the  trade.  It  appears 
farther  by  this  letter,  that  Mr.  Johnson  had  givei|  oft'ence 
to  his  uncle  by  the  purchase  of  a  lot  of  land,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river,  to  which  his  patron  was  aj)prelien- 
sive  he  might  remove.  From  the  description,  or  rather 
the  tenor  of  the  nephew's  letter  in  reply,  the  purchase  was 
ofthe  lot  upon  which  he  subsequently  settled,  known  to 
this  day  as  Mount  Johnson,  and  where  the  old  massive 
stone  mansion  erected  by  him  yet  stands.  But  Mr.  John- 
son protested  to  his  uncle  that  he  had  no  flesign  of  remov- 
ing to  his  new  purchase,  having  niado  it,  he  said,  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  a  valuable  water-power,  on  which  he 
proposed  to  erect  a  saw-mill,  that  would  be  certain  to  yield 
a  profit  of  full  forty  pounds  per  annum. 

In  regard  to  the  early  education  of  Mr.  Johnson,  I  have 
succeeded  in  obtaining  no  satisfactory  information.  It  is 
presumed  that  he  did  not  receive  the  advantages  of  a  uni- 
versity course  of  instruction;  while  the  presumption  is 
equally  strong  that  he  had  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  some 
classical  school  where  other  languages  than  the  English 
were  taught.  I  have  found  among  his  private  correspond- 
ence, letters  addressed  to  him  both  in  French  and  Latin, 
which  were  filed  away  with  endorsements  in  his  own  hand- 
written Oquago.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Hawley,  however,  a  missionary  to  the  In- 
dians, and  a  ootemporary  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  in  his  journal  to  this 
place,  spells  it  Onohogbgwdge.  I  have  adopted,  in  the  Life  of  Brant,  from 
his  own  manuscript,  the  orthography  given  above  in  the  text.  The  place 
and  river  now  known  as  Unadilla,  are  spelt  by  Mr.  Hawley,  Teyond^l- 
hough.  By  Brant  it  was  contracted  to  Tunadilla.  The  large  creek  flow- 
ing into  the  Susquehanna  some  ten  or  fifteen  miles  south  of  Cooperstown, 
called  Otego,  was  written  by  »Jr.  Hawley,  Wauteghe ;  which  i«  the  betttjr 
Indian. 


66 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


i^j'' 


CHAP,  writing,  always  in  the  language  in  which  the  letters  them- 
s-.^,«/  selves  were  respectively  written.  And  it  will  subsequently 
17^'  appear  from  the  invoices  of  books  ordered  for  his  private 
library  from  his  correspondents  in  London,  in  the  days  of 
his  prosperity,  that  his  selections  indicated  not  only  a 
mind  of  considerable  cultivation,  but  also  of  a  scientific 
turn.  There  is  yet  greater  difficulty  in  fixing  the  date  of 
his  marriage,  or  giving  any  satisfactory  account  of  the 
family  with  which  he  became  thus  connected.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  he  married  young,  probably  about  1740, —  cer- 
tainly in  the  earlier  years  of  his  residence  irj  the  Mohawk 
country, — rap4  the  object  of  his  choice  is  supposed  to  have 
been  a  young  German  woman  by  the  name  of  Catherine 
Wisenberg,  a  plain  country  girl  of  no  social  position,  but 
gifted  with  good  sound  sense,  and  a  mild  and  gentle  dis- 
position. 

ilaving  thus  introduced  to  the  reader  the  principal  bio- 
graphical subject  of  these  menjoirs,  with  some  of  his  fam- 
ily connections,  it  is  necessary  for  the  preservation,  as  far 
as  may  be,  of  chronological  order,  to  resume  again  the 
thread  of  Indian  history,  at  the  point  of  its  termination  in 
the  preceding  chapter. 


r)i; 


In  the  summer  of  1742,  the  Six  Nations,  by  a  large  del- 
egation of  counselors,  chiefs,  and  warriors,  numbering  in 
all  upward  of  seventy  persons,  visited  Philadelphia  to  hold 
a  treaty  with  their  brother  Onas,  governor  of  Pennsylva- 
nia.^ It  appears  that  by  an  antecedent  treaty,  the  Six  Na- 
tions, claiming  the  country  of  the  Delawares  by  right  of 
conquest,  had  released  to  Onas  their  claim  to  all  the  lands 
on  both  sides  of  th^  Susquehanna,  from  the  Endless  moun 
tains,  or  Kittochtinny  hills,  to  the  southeni  boundary  of 
Pennsylvania.     At  the  time  of  making  that  relinquish 

iQnas,  in  the  Ivoquoia  language,  signiflea  a  Pbn,  and  was  the  title  by 
which  William  Penn  was  addressed  by  the  Indians,  and  the  gorernors  who 
■uooeeded  him. 


LIFE   OP  SIB   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    BART. 


m' 


ment,  they  had  received  payment  in  goods,  for  the  terri-  chap. 
tory  ceded  on  the  east  side  of  the  river;  but  preferred v—y—^ 
waiting  for  the  balance  due  for  the  lands  on  the  other  side  ^'*^' 
until  a  more  convenient  season.  It  was  for  the  purpose 
of  closing  that  negotiation,  therefore,  that  the  council  of 
1742  was  convened.  The  deputation  was  headed  by  the 
celebrated  Onondaga  counselor,  Canassateego, — 'one  of 
the  ablest  orators  and  wisest  sachems  of  his  race,— and 
by  the  Cayuga  chief  Shicolamy,  or  Shikellimus,  father  of 
the  famous  Logan,  who  was  afterward  immortalized  by 
Mr.  Jefferson,  in  his  Notes  on  Virginia.  Shicolamy  was  at 
that  period  residing  with  a  clan  of  his  people  at  Shamo- 
kin.  It  was  the  policy  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  in  ac- 
cidental conformity  with  that  of  the  Romans,  to  plant 
military  colonies  in  the  countries  they  conquered,  and  that 
at  Shamokin  was  one  of  them.  Deputations  Were  also 
present  from  the  Shawanese,  then  residing  at  "Wajomick, 
or  Wyoming;  from  the  I^antikokesj  who  had  removed 
from  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland  to  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  "Wyoming  valley ;  from  the  Delawares ;  and 
from  the  Canestogoes, —  a  clan  of  the  Oneidas,  planted  in 
Central  Pennsylvania.  The  interpreter  was  Conrad  "Wei- 
ser,  a  faithful  man,  enjoying  the  fullest  confidence  of  the 
Indians,  and  long  in  the  service  of  Pennsylvania  in  her  1787. 
intercourse  with  the  Six  Nations.* 

The  governor,  or  rather  the  lieutenant-governor  of 
Pennsylvania,  under  the  proprietaries  at  that  time,  was 
Mr.  George  Thomas,  a  n^an  of  talent  and  resolution,  who 
managed  the  Indian  affairs  of  the  colony  for  several  years 
with  excellent  tact  and  address.  The  Indians  were  re- 
ceived by  Mb.  Thomas  and  his  council  at  the  house  of  the 
then  venerable  James  Logan,  the  learned  and  philosophic 
fiicnd  and  cotemporary  of  William  Penn.    Mr.  I.ogan  had 


'  Weisor  was  of  German  hlood.  a  native  of  Scholiaric,    in   ilie  colony  of 


.  r<.jA-.*»*tt*S»  •>-i»**«^  *M  Ai*«^^ 


ed 


LTFB  OP   SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


Hi  1:  r 


■\^ 


CHAF.  pi^eceded  Mr.  Thomaa  in  the  colonial  administration,  as 
V-V-'  president  of  the  council.    He  had  long  been  a  man  of 
^^^'  distinction  in  the  colony,  and  enjoyed  the  unbounded  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  the  Indians.     This  reception  took 
place  on  the  second  of  July,  and  the  council  was  continued 
from  day  to  day  until  the  twelfth. 

The  proceedings  of  the  first  day  were  rather  informal, — 
being  confined  to  an  exchange  of  salutations,  and  to  cer- 
tain explanations  which  the  sachems  desired  to  make.  In 
the  first  place,  they  disclaimed  a  Certain  sale  of  land  which 
some  of  their  "foolish  young  men,"  when  out  upon  a 
hunting  expeditir  n,  had  made,  or  pretended  to  make,  to 
a  few  individuals,  for  a  very  small  number  of  strouds, — 
the  sale  conflicting  with  a  previous  contract  of  the  Con- 
federacy with  their  brother  Onas.  The  sachems  had 
wrested  the  strouds  from  the  young  men,  and  now  pro- 
duced them  that  they  might  be  returned  to  those  who  had 
made  the  invalid  purchase.  Another  explanation  which 
they  desired  to  make,  or  rather  which  had  been  required 
of  them  by  Mr.  Thomas,  related  to  the  murder  of  two  or 
three  white  people  some  time  before,  by  a  returning  war- 
party  of  Twightwees,  or  Miatnies,  whicb.  murders  had 
been  accidentally  detected  by  the  Shawanese,  through 
.:  whose  town  they  were  passing,  when  scrutinizing  the 
scalps  they  had  taken.  The  Twightwees,  said  Mr.  Thomas, 
had  sent  a  message  that  "  their  hearts  were  full  of  grief" 
when  they  heard  that  "the  road  had  been  made  bloody" 
by  some  of  their  young  men,  "  with  the  blood  of  white 
people ;"  and  the  Shav/anese  had  sent  a  message  "  that 
they  would  sweep  the  road  clean  and  wipe  all  the  blood 
away;"  desiring  that  their  white  brethren  "would  be  sat- 
isfied with  this,  and  not  weep  too  much  for  a  misfortune 
that  might  not  happen  again  as  long  as  the  sun  and  moon 
shone."  The  governor  expressed  a  wish  that  the  Six  Na- 
tions might  take  up  the  matter,  ascertain  the  facts  of  the 
case,  and  obtain  satisfaction  for  the  outrage.    The  chiefs 


LtSB   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


69 


promised  to  consider  the  subject  on  their  return  home,  chap. 
and  send  an  answer.  '  '  '  -'  '  ►'  ■•  '"'•  '  ^  ^-  ''  '  ■  ^-v— ' 
The  times  being  critical,  and  another  French  war  sup-  ^^^' 
posed  to  be  unavoidable,  it  was  deemed  advisable  by  Gov- 
ernor Thomas  and  his  counselors,  to  endeavor  to  sound 
the  Indians,  and  ascertain  if  possible  what  would  be  their 
probable  temper  and  disposition  in.  such  an  event.  A 
grand  entertainment  was  therefore  ]jfovided  for  them, 
with  the  design  of  extracting  their  sentiments  in  the  flow 
of  the  wine-cup, —  upon  the  well  known  principle,  "m 
oino  Veritas."  It  happened  that  although  the  deputation 
was  numerous,  there  were  no  representatives  from  the 
Mohawks,  and  but  three  from  the  Senecas, —  the  most 
powerful  nation  by  far,  of  the  Confederates.  Mr.  Thomas 
approached  the  object  at  which  he  was  aiming  warily,  by 
inquiring  why  so  few  Senecas  were  present,  since  they 
were  equally  interested  with  the  others  in  the  business 
that  had  called  them  together.  The  answer  of  Canassa- 
teego  was  prompt  and  painfully  satisfactory.  "  The  Sene- 
cas," he  said,  ''were  in  great  distress  on  account  of  a 
famine  that  haa  raged  in  their  country,  which  had  reduced 
them  to  such  want  that  a  father  had  been  obliged  to  kill 
two  of  his  children  to  preserve  his  own  and  the  rest  of  his 
family's  lives."  Their  situation,  therefore,  was  such  that 
they  could  not  attend  the  council,  but  the  necessary  in- 
structions had  been  given  in  regard  to  their  share  of  the 
goods.  The  lieutenant-governor  next,  with  seeming  care- 
lessness, inquired  whether  any  of  the  Seneca  chiefs  were 
iL  Canada,  and  whether  the  governor  of  Canada  was  mak- 
ing ^ny  warlike  preparations.  Both  questions  were  ans- 
wered In  the  affirmative ;  whereupon  Mr.  Thomas  play- 
fully remarked :  "  Well,  if  the  French  should  go  to  war 
with  us,  I  suppose  you  would  join  them  ?"  Canassateego 
was  evidently  not  put  oft'  his  guard  by  the  apparent  indif- 
ference of  the  querist,  and  therefore  did  not  reply  until 
after  a  brief  consultation  with  his  people.     He  then  said, 


""'•*^4^ 


lAntfi^WtK*  J»^X.i.4> *<■<** "*»»*»"m^**' 


70 


LIFB   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


i«|if| 


1742. 


CHAP,  frankly,  that  the  French  governor  was  paying  great  court 
■  to  the  Indians,  and  had  iuformed  them  that  he  was  unco- 
vering the  hatchet  and  sharpening  it ;  hut  at  the  same 
time  he  had  told  them  that  if  he  was  ohliged  to  lift  it  up 
against  the  English,  he  hoped  they  would  not  espouse  the 
cause  of  either  side,  but  remain  neutral.  The  orator,  how* 
ever,  assured  his  brother  Onas,  that  in  the  event  of  a  war, 
they  should  be  faithful  and  true  to  their  old  allies,  and 
lift  the  hatchet  in  their  cause,  adding :  "  The  governor  of 
Canadp,  talks  a  great  deal,  but  ten  of  his  words  do  not  go 
so  far  as  one  of  yours ;  we  do  not  look  toward  them ;  wo 
look  toward  you,  and  you  may  depend  on  our  assistance." 
Yet  it  will  be  seen  hereafter  that  when  the  crisis  came, 
great  reluctance  was  manifested  by  the  Confederates  to 
engage  in  the  contest.  '  ■   ;.   .      ji;    ,i     i    !        i 

At  the  next  subsequent  meeting  in  council,  after  having 
delivered  the  goods  which  the  Indians  had  come  to  re- 
ceive, Mr.  Thomas  opened  the  subject  of  the  probable  rup- 
ture with  France,  with  more  directness.  It  was  his  de- 
sire, he  said,  in  the  event  of  a  war,  that  the  road  between 
the  English  and  the  Indians,  should  be  kept  clear  and 
open.  More  fuel  should  then  be  added  to  the  fire  between 
them,  that  H  might  burn  brighter  and  clearer,  and  give  a 
stronger  light,  and  more  lasting  warmth.  "  We  must  hear 
with  our  ears  for  you,  and  you  must  hear  with  your  ears 
for  us," — terms  all  significant,  and  well  understood  by 
these  metaphor-loving  sons  of  the  forest.  Nor  were  they 
employed  without  eiiect.  Having  taken  a  day  for  consid- 
eration, Canassateego  replied  to  the  speech  of*  the  lieuten- 
ant-governor at  length,  and  in  regard  to  the  threatening 
storm,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  English,  and  with 
the  seemingly  cordial  assent  of  his  dusky  associates. 

In  discussing  the  business  matters  which  tb«^y  had  as- 
sembled specially  to  consider,  the  Onondaga  or  >r,  though 
prepared  fully  to  confirm  the  prior  contract  for  the  sale  of 
the  lands  on  the  western  side  of  the  Susquehanna, — •  but 


LIFB  OP   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHXSON,   BART. 


71 


how  far  west  does  not  appear,  the  tenns  in  the  records  of  chap. 
the  council  being  quite  indefinite, —  had  nevertheless  com-  v-^— ' 
plaints  to  make,  as  has  ever  been  the  case  on  such  occa-  ^^^^* 
sions,  of  the  encroachments  of  the  white  people  upon  their 
lands.  "  The  pale-faces  think  we  do  not  know  the  value 
of  our  lands,"  said  the  veteran  counselor;  but  we  are  sen- 
sible that  the  land  is  everlasting,  and  the  few  goods  that 
we  receive  for  it  are  soon  worn  out  and  gone.  The  speci- 
fic complaint  adduced  by  Canassateego,  was,  that  the 
white  people  were  settling  all  along  the  banks  of  the  Ju- 
niata river, —  one  of  the  large  western  tributaries  to  the 
Susquehanna, —  "  to  the  great  damage  of  our  cousins,  the 
Delawares."  This  encroachment  had  been  the  ground  of 
a  complaint  before ;  and  Mr.  Thomas  now  replied  that 
magistrates  were  then  sent  expresply  to  remove  the  tres- 
passers. "  Those  persons  who  were  sent  did  not  do  their 
duty,"  interposed  Canassateego.  "So  far  from  removing 
the  people,  they  made  surveys  for  themselves,  and  they 
are  in  league  with  the  trespassers!"  A  common  occur- 
rence, I  believe,  in  the  great  catalogue  of  Indian  wrongs. 

But  the  most  interesting  historical  incident  during  the 
sittings  of  this  council,  affording  proof  at  once  of  a  dis- 
puted fact,  and  an  illustration  of  Indian  character,  occur- 
red toward  its  close.  Mr.  Thomas  had  complained  at  one 
of  their  meetings  that  a  clan  of  Jhe  Delawares,  residing  at 
the  forks  of  the  Delaware  river,  had  not  only  refused  to 
yield  the  occupancy  of  a  tract  of  land  which  had  been  sold 
to  William  Penn  fifty-five  years  before,  but  had  presumed 
to  make  sales  of  some  portions  of  the  same  lands, —  not- 
withstanding that  their  fathers  had  made  the  treaty  with 
Penn,  and  received  the  value  of  the  sale ;  and  notwith- 
standing also  that  they  themselves  had  subsequently  rati- 
fied the  treaty  anew.  It  was  in  reply  to  this  statement  of 
Mr.  Thomas,  that  Canassateego  uttered  a  speech  of  bitter 
and  biting  reproof  of  the  Delawares,  in  which  he  reminded 
them  in  terms  of  severity  of  their  subjugated  condition. 


72 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


m 


II 


I   ! 


CHAP, "You,"  said  he,  "you  take  it  upon  yourselves  to  sell 
v«^  land !"  "  You  don't  know  what  ground  you  stand  upon !" 
1742.  it  You  ought  to  be  taken  by  the  hair  of  your  head  and 
shaken  till  you  recover  your  senses,  and  become  sober !" 
"  We  conquered  you.  We  m^ade  women  of  you.  You 
know  yoi.  are  women,  and  can  no  more  sell  land  than 
women !"  This  speech,  which  was  full  of  mdignant  irony 
and  invective,  was  closed  b^'  a  peremptoiy  order  for  the 
Delawares  to  remove  forthwith  from  the  disputed  terri- 
tory, either  to  Shamokin,  or  Wyoming,  as  they  might  pre- 
fer. The  following  was  the  closing  injunction  of  the  man- 
date: "After  our  just  reproof  and  absolute  order  to 
depart  from  the  land,  you  are  now  to  take  notice  of  what 
wo  have  further  to  say  to  you.  This  string  of  wampum 
serves  to  forbid  you,  your  children  and  grand-children,  to 
the  latest  posterity  forover,  from  meddling  with  land 
affairs;  neither  you,  noi  any  who  shall  descend  from  you, 
are  ever  hereafter  to  presume  to  sell  aLy  land.  For  which 
purpose  you  are  to  preserve  this  string,  in  memory  of 
what  your  uncles  have  this  day  given  you  in  charge.  We 
have  some  other  business  to  transact  with  our  brethren, 
and  therefore  depart  the  council,  and  consider  what  has 
been  said  to  you." 

The  obedience  of  the  Delawares  to  the  order  was  as  prompt 
as  the  mandate  itself  was  summary, —  some  of  them  going 
to  Shamokin,  but  the  greater  number  settling  at  Wyo- 
ming, on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Susquehanna,-^^  a  large 
clan  of  the  Shawanese  residing  at  that  time  on  the  west- 
em  side  opposite.  This  transaction  sufficiently  proves  the 
state  of  abject  subjection  to  which  the  Delawares  had  been 
reduced,  and  in  which  at  tnat  time  they  were  held  by  the 
Iroquois,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the  benevolent 
Heckewelder  to  sustain  a  loftier  position  for  his  favorites 
among  the  aborigines.  >  • 

In  the  course  of  the  proceedings  at  this  treaty,  while 
complaining  of  the  trespasses  of  the  white  men  upon  the 


>l<lll I 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNBON,   BART. 


78' 


3 


LidS 


lands  along  the  Juniata,  Canaseateego  uttered  a  further  chap. 
complaint  "that  sonao  parts  of  their  country  had  been»-v— ' 
taken  up  by  persons  whose  place  of  residence  is  south  of  ^'**' 
this  province  (Pennsylvania),  and  from  whom  wo  have 
never  received  any  consideration."  It  was  their  desire 
that  Mr.  Thomas  should  "  inform  '  the  person '  whose  peo- 
ple were  thus  seated  on  those  lands,  that  that  country  be- 
longs to  us,  in  right  of  conquest,  we  having  bought  it 
with  our  blood,  and  taken  it  from  our  enemies  in  fair 
war;"  and,  in  their  behalf,  require  compensation  for  it. 
It  was  understood  by  Mr.  Thomas  and  his  board  of  coun- 
selors, that  this  complaint  was  directed  against  the  gover- 
nor and  people  of  Maryland ;  and  a  letter  was  addressed 
to  the  former  upon  the  subject.  But  from  the  vague  and 
indefinite  terms  in  which  the  Indian  counselor  had  spo- 
ken,—  referring  to  the  aggressors  only  as  "  persons  living 
south  of  Pennsylvania," — the  government  and  people  of 
Virginia  by  some  means  became  impressed  with  the  idea 
that  the  illusion  was  pointed  at  them. 

An  unlucky  occurrence  in  December  following  strength- 
ened this  impression.  It  appeared  from  a  communication 
addressed  to  Lieutenant-Governor  Clarke,  by  Mr.  Gooch, 
lieutenant-governor  of  Virginia,  that  in  the  month  of  De- 
cember, a  body  of  Indians  had  made  an  incursion  into  the 
frontier  county  of  Augusta  in  that  colony,  and  committed 
some  very  serious  outrages, —  killing  several  people,  and 
carrying  away  numbers  of  cattle  and  horses.  The  invaders 
were  pursued  by  a  small  body  of  Virginia  militia,  comr 
manded  by  Captains  M'Dowell  and  Buchanan,  and  over^ 
taken  on  the  eighteenth  of  December,  when  a  smart  en- 
gagement ensued, —  the  Indians  having  commenced  the 
fight  by  shooting  down  a  messenger  of  peace  wlio  was  ap- 
proaching them  with  a  flag.  The  action  lasted  about 
forty-five  minutes,  during  which  eleven  of  the  Virginians 
were  Idlled,  among  whom  was  Captain  M'Dowell.     The 

Indians  fled,  leaving  eight  or  ten  of  their  warriors  dead 
10 


"Vt -■  iTitr'ftt)i-m0^i\n 


74 


LIFB  OF  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BAST. 


c^.  upon  the  field.  Such  was  the  magnitude  of  the  affair,  and 
«— y— 'Such  its  result,  as  stated  to  Lieutenant-Governor  Clarke  by 
■  Mr.  Gooch.  The  Virginians  alleged  that  there  were 
several  white  men  with  the  Indians,  believed  to  be  French. 
Mr.  Gooch  stated  that  the  afi'air  had  occurred  at  an  unfor- 
tunate moment,  since  at  that  very  time  he  was  preparing 
to  send  a  friendly  deputation  to  meet  the  Six  Nations ; 
and  being  uncertain  whether  these  hostile  Indians  might 
not  belong  to  that  Confederacy,  he  was  in  doubt  what 
course  to  pursue.  Under  these  circumstances  he  requested 
the  assistance  of  the  authorities  of  New  York,  in  enabling 
him  to  ascertain  whether  the  aggressors  belonged  to  the 
Six  Nations.  He  also  desired  Mr.  Clarke  to  ask  the  chiefs 
of  the  Six  Nations  where  the  land  in  Virginia  was,  to 
which  they  had  referred  in  the  Philadelphia  council  as 
belonging  to  them,  f  •  . :  ^-^  .fh  .  <  ;,•  ;  v  .  ' 
1748.  The  communication  from  Mr.  Gooch  was  forwarded  to 
the  Indian  commissioners  at  Albany,  on  the  fifth  of  April, 
with  instructions  to  adopt  the  necessary  measures  for  ascer- 
taining the  facts.*  Should  it  prove  true  that  the  outrages 
had  really  been  committed  by  the  Six  Nations,  in  conse- 
quence of  any  dispute  with  Virginia  about  their  lands,  the 
Indians  were  to  be  rebuked  for  the  adoption  of  such  a 
barbarous  course.  They  ought  rather  to  have  sought  an 
adjustment  by  treaty,  as  they  had  dona  with  Pennsylvania 
and  Maryland.  Had  they  adopted  such  a  course,  the  gov- 
ernor of  New  York  would  cheerfully  have  aided  them  in 
the  negotiation.  The  commissioners  had  previously  heard 
of  the  Virginia  affair,  from  the  Mohawks,  who  stated  that 
the  Indians  were  feeling  very  uneasy  upon  the  subject. 
On  the  receipt  of  the  dispatches,  therefore,  Mr,  Jacobus 

1  The  board  of  Indian  commissioners  at  that  time  consisted  of  the  follow- 
ing persons,  viz :  Captain  Rutherford,  Cornelius  Cuyler,  Myndert  Schuy- 
ler, Hendrick  Ten  Eyck,  Peter  Wiune,  Rutger  Bleecker,  Nicholas  Bleecker, 
John  De  Feyster,  Ryer  Garretson,  Dirok  Ten  Broeck  and  John  Lansingh, 


'^'M 


'   i 


I 


not  come 
The  CO 
municate 
different 
preferring 
warriors, 
ginians,  a 
which  th< 
verely  wo 
the  party, 
of  whom  ] 
for  the  efi 
justed,  as 
the  possil 
they  had  i 
at  the  wet 
them  in  tj 
Mr.  Clj 
with  thesJ 
teenth  of 
planationij 
commissic] 
a  lack  of  ^ 
should  hi 
went  to 
pie,  and 
Why  the' 
with  a  sil 
Indians  \l 


LIFE   09  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


76 


Bleecker,  a  competent  interpreter,  was  sent  to  Onondaga,  chap. 

lit 

where  a  council  had  already  been  convened  to  receive  a^— y — - 
deputation  from  Philade^-  aia.  The  errand  of  these  mes-  ^'*** 
sengers,  however,  was  merely  to  invite  the  chiefs  to  make 
another  vie.  o  Pennsylvania.  But  the  invitation  was  de- 
clined by  the  chiefs  expressly  upon  the  ground  of  what  had 
happened  at  the  south.  They  sent  word  that  "  they  could 
not  come  this  year,  but  would  do  so  the  next." 

The  contents  of  Mr.  Gooch's  letter  having  bfeen  com- 
municated to  the  chiefs  and  sachems,  they  gave  quite  a 
different  version  to  the  story.  They  denied  that  they  were 
preferring  any  claims  against  Virginia  for  lands.  Their 
warriors,  they  said,  had  been  first  fired  upon  by  the  Vir- 
ginians, and  four  of  their  number  killed.  In  return  for 
which  they  had  killed  eight  of  the  Virginians,  and  se- 
verely wounded  two  more.  There  were  no  white  men  in 
the  party,  which  consisted  of  thirty  warriorp,  twenty-six 
of  whom  had  returned.  They  thanked  the  commissioners 
for  the  efforts  they  were  making  to  have  the  difficulty  ad- 
justed, as  they  hoped  it  would  be.  Still,  apprehending 
the  possibility  of  a  war  as  the  consequence  of  the  affray, 
they  had  sent  messages  to  the  Ottawas,  and  their  friends 
at  the  west,  to  remain  at  home,  and  be  prepared  to  aid 
them  in  the  event  of  hostilities.  ..        ,  ;    i. 

Mr.  Clarke's  council,  to  >.hom  the  papers  connected 
with  these  transactions  were  communicated,  on  the  seven- 
teenth of  April,  were  by  no  means  satisfied  with  the  ex- 
planations of  the  Indians,  nor  with  the  proceedings  of  the 
commissioners,  against  whom  they  more  than  insinuated 
a  lack  of  energy.  They  wrote  back  that  the  interpreter 
should  have  been  instructed  to  demand  why  the  war  party 
went  to  Virginia?  Why  they  had  killed  some  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  carried  away  horses  and  cattle  before  the  battle  ? 
Why  they  had  killed  the  mar  who  was  approaching  them 
with  a  signal  of  tViendsliip?  The  council  thought  the 
Indians  were  dealing  with  subtilty  in  this  matter,  and 


'  in 


76 


LIFB   0?  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


174 


0HA». insisted  that  they  ought  to  bo  told  explicitly  tl  .,  they 
were  breaking  the  covenant  chain  whenever  they  killed 
any  of  his  majesty's  subjects,  no  matter  in  which  of  the 
colonies.  Yet  if  the  Indians  di-  .la-med  all  knowledge  of 
the  murders,  and  their  abhorrence  of  the  act,  and  would 
restrain  their  young  men  from  such  unwarrantable  expe- 
ditions hereafter,  the  council  hoped  that  the  governor  of 
Virginia  would  come  to  such  a  temper  as  would  enable 
them  to  heal  the  breach.  In  regard  to  the  land-claim  to 
which  Mr.  Gooch  had  referred,  the  council  thought  the 
inference  was  warranted  from  the  undeterminato  phrase- 
ology of  Canassateego's  speech  at  Philadelphia,  although 
some  had  supposed  that  Maryland,  not  Virginia,  was  in- 
tended. However,  it  was  necessary  that  the  commission- 
ers should  inform  the  Six  Nations  that  such  outrageous 
acts  against  any  of  his  majesty's  colonial  settlements,  must 
be  put  an  end  to.  The  Indians  themselves  had  com- 
plained to  Mr.  Bleecker,  the  interpreter,  of  the  intrigues 
of  the  French ;  and  it  was  evident  to  the  mind  of  the 
council,  that  in  order  to  put  a  termination  to  those  out- 
rages, the  emissaries  of  the  French  must  be  prevented 
from  coming  among  them.  i.  '  Kt> 

The  consequence  of  this  letter  to  the  commissioners, 
was  another  embassy  in  May  to  the  Six  Nations,  in  coun- 
cil at  Onondaga,  with  a  more  peremptory  message.  In 
reply  to  which  the  Indians  again  explicitly  disclaimed  any 
claim  to  land  in  Virginia.  In  regard  to  the  unhappy  oc- 
currence in  Virginia,  they  denied  with  solemnity  that  any 
people  had  been  killed  before  their  braves  were  fired  upon 
thrice  by  the  soldiers  of  M'Dowell  and  Buchanan.  Their 
young  men  were  going  on  a  fighting  expedition  to  the 
south  when  the  affair  happened, —  but  not  to  fight  against 
the  Virginians.  They  had  only  taken  a  few  cattle  on  their 
way,  and  they  thought  the  Virginians  had  treated  them 
too  severely  by  following  and  firing  upon  them  for  so 
small  an  offence.    They  regretted  the  occurrence ;  but  it 


LIFH   OF   SIB  "Wn.LIAJI   JOHKBON,    BART. 


7T 


1748. 


was  out  of  the  power  of  the  chiefs  to  prever*  their  young  chap. 
warriors  from  occawi  lally  going  oft"  npoii  such  expedi- 
tions. In  transmitting  this  reply,  the  commissiorif^rs  wrote 
to  the  council  that  the  Indians  w«re  really  anxious  for  a 
reconciliation.  They  thought  ureat  gooti  would  ensue, 
were  Mr.  Gooch  to  come  and  moet  ^  cm  himself;  and  it 
would  be  yet  better  if  some  oi  he  chiefs  of  those  remote 
southern  Indians,  ag;"n»t  whom  Liie  Six  IMafions  had  been 
so  long  at  war,  could  b    pt        V^  tu    ome  ;  Jso  and  meet 


night  th<  u  be  eftected, 

if  the  chiefs  to  re- 

9  ;imong  the  scattered 

their  castles,  notwith- 


them  in  council.     A  gen'   al 

whereas  it  was  now  almr  lo- 

strain  the  formation  of 

Indians  residing  at  a  distanct 

standing  the  stipulations  of  peace    negotiated  by  Mr. 

Clarke  at  the  council  of  1740. 

A  pacific  letter,  giving  the  results  of  these  conferences 
with  the  Indians  was  written  to  Mr.  Gooch  by  Mr.  Clarke ; 
and  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  latter,  the  matter 
seems  to  have  been  pressed  no  farther. 

The  administration  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Clarke  was 
ended  in  the  autumn  of  1743,  by  the  arrival  of  Admiral 
George  Clinton,  uncle  of  the  earl  of  Lincoln,  and  a 
younger  son  of  the  late  earl,  who  had  been  appointed  to 
the  government  of  New  York  through  the  interest  of  his 
friends,  to  afford  him  an  opportunity  of  mending  his  for- 
tunes. Mr.  Clarke,  who  in  the  commencement  of  his  ad- 
ministration had  succeeded  in  conciliating  the  leaders  of 
both  political  parties,  had  contrived  before  the  close  of 
his  career  to  lose  the  confidence  of  both, —  so  that  his  re- 
tirement from  the  government  was  regarded  with  univer- 
sal satisfaction.'    Especially  had  he  incurred  the  resent- 


1  Oeorge  Clarke,  Esq.,  who,  in  yarioua  official  stations  was  for  almost 
half  a  century  oonneoted  with  the  colonial  goTernmeut  of  New  York,  was 
an  Englishman  by  birth.  "  His  uncle,  Mr.  Blaithwait,  procured  the  secre- 
taryship of  the  colony  for  him  early  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.     He  had 


a2>    VV. 


•?>--    ■^    nOis 


%^^.^^ 

o ..  ^^^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


Y' 
^ 


// 


Ic; 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


If  i^  IIIIM 

■^  1^    III  2.2 

^  I-  IIIIM 

IIU 

|U    IIIIII.6 


V] 


<^ 


/] 


/y 


<^M 


y 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


iV 


^^ 


i\ 


\ 


-''  '^ 


'9> 


*> 
^ 


c> 


'ifc^ 


its 


o 


'^ 
^ 


\ 


% 


Y8 


LIVB  OV  SIB  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


OHA».  ment  of  the  chief  justice,  De  Lancey ;  who,  strangely 
«»v— '  enough,  though  usually  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  pre* 
1748.  rogativea  of  the  crown,  had  now  become  to  some  extent  a 
fiivorite  of  the  general  assembly.  The  new  governor  had 
spent  the  most  of  his  life  in  the  navy ;  and,  according  to 
the  earliest  English  historian  of  New  York,  "  preferring 
ease  and  good  cheer  to  the  restless  activity  of  ambition, 
there  wanted  nothing  to  engage  the  interest  of  his  power* 
fill  patrons  in  his  favor,  more  than  to  humor  a  simple- 
hearted  man,  whu  had  no  ill  nature,  nor  sought  anything 
more  than  a  genteel  frugality  and  common  civility,  while 
he  was  mending  those  fortunes,  until  his  friends  at  court 


'  ;!l! 


K'l 


genius,  but  no  other  than  a  common  writing-school  education ;  nor  did  hu 
add  to  his  stock  by  reading,  for  he  was  more  intent  upon  improving  his 
fortune  than  his  mind.  He  was  sensible,  artfbl,  active,  cautious ;  had  4 
perfect  command  of  hia  temper,  and  was  in  his  address  specious  and  civil.' 
Nor  was  any  man  better  acquainted  with  the  colony  and  its  affairs."  He 
successively  held  the  offices  of  secretary,  clerk  of  the  council,  counselor, 
and  lieutenant-governor ;  and  flrom  his  official  position  he  had  every  op- 
portunity of  enriching  himself  by  obtaining  grants  and  patents  of  land  — 
Which,  from  his  knowledge  of  the  colony  he  was  enabled  to  choose  in  tbe 
most  advantageous  locations.  He  was  a  courtier,  and  was  careful  never 
to  differ  with  the  governors  of  the  colony ;  althoi^gh  during  Cosby's  sloriny 
career,  he  usually  kept  himself  quiet  at  his  country  villa  upon  the  edge  of 
Hempstead  plains.  "His  lady  was  a  Hyde,  a  woman  of  fine  accompli^li- 
ments,  and  a  distant  relation  of  that  branch  of  the  Clarendon  family.  Sbc 
died  in  New  York.  Mr.  Clarke  returned  to  England  in  1745,  with  acquisi- 
tions estimated  at  one  hundred  thousand  pounds.  He  purchased  an  eBttitu 
in  Cheshire,  where  he  died  about  the  year  1761.  Oeorge  Clarke,  his  grami- 
son,  and  the  heir  to  his  estates,  after  a  residence  in  America  of  about  tliirty- 
five  years,  died  at  Otsego,  about  the  year  1886.  His  eldest  son,  George 
Hyde  Clarke,  with  his  young  wife,  was  lost  in  thto  ship  Albion,  wredked  un 
the  coast  of  Ireland,  in  the  summer  of  1820,  on  his  passage  from  New  York 
to  England.  His  second  son  then  returned  to  England,  and  entered  into 
possession  of  the  fortune  of  his  lather's  estates  situated  in  that  countiy. 
By  the  vast  increase  in  price  of  his  American  lands,  Mr.  Clarke's  estates  in 
this  country  became  of  prineely  value  before  his  death.  They  are  in- 
herited by  his  youngest  son,  Oeorge  Clarke,  Esq.,  who  now  (1848),  reside? 
in  the  noble  mansion  erected  by  his  father  a  few  y»u  <<  before  his  deoease, 
apon  the  margin  of  Otsego  lake.        i.i  'J".as  naii  ^m  'iH'^^'dl'X*)  '{H-n:^- 


v--r«---r-."^.i-*Xi-,w»«  .• 


~  / 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


n 


4^ 


could  recall  him  to  some  indolent  and  more  lucrative  eta-  orap. 

tion.'"  •    r      't-'"'  '-V-' 

Mr.  Clinton  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  t^enl^r-ae'cond  ^'*** 
of  September,  and  was  received  with  demonstratio'nB  of 
univeroal  satisfaction  by  the  people.  Finding  that  the 
general  assembly  stood  adjourned  to  meet  in  a  few  days, 
and  ascertaining  that  the  people  would  be  pleased  with  an 
opportunity  of  holding  a  new  election,  the  assembly  was 
dissolved  on  the.twenty-8eventh  and  writs  for  the  return 
of  another  assembly  issued  the  same  day.'  The  elections 
were  conducted  without  political  acrimony,  and  all  the  old 
members,  with  but  seven  exceptions,  were  returned.  The 
session  opened  on  the  eighth  of  I^ovember.  Meantime 
the  governor  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  De  Lancey,  who 
doubtless  had  the  moulding  of  his  excellency's  speech. 
Its  tone  was  conciliatory,  although  the  sore  subject  of  a 
permanent  revenue  was  opened  afresh.  But  this  was  done 
in  gentle  terms,  the  governor  asking  for  a  grant  "  in  as 
ample  a  manner,  and  for  a  time  as  long,  as  had  been  given 
under  any  of  his  predecessors."  The  assembly  was  in- 
formed that  owing  to  the  critical  state  of  afi^irs  in  Europe, 
and  the  doubtful  attitude  in  which  Great  Britain  and 
France  stood  toward  each  other,  a  large  supply  of  military 
stores  for  the  defence  of  the  colony  had  been  received 
from  the  parent  government ;  and  the  governor  hoped  the 
assembly  would  show  their  thankfulness  by  making  an 
adequate  provision  for  the  purchase  of  others.  The  usual 
recommendations  in  regard  to  the  Indian  intercourse  of 
the  colony  were  renewed,  and  an  appropriation  was  asked 
for  rebuilding  the  barracks,  and  public  offices,  together 
with  the  house  of  the  governor,  which  had  been  destroyed 
by  fire.    The  latter    recommendation  was  insisted  on 


1  Smith's  Hiitory  qfjfew  York,  vol.  ii,  page  85. 
*  Idem. 


i    i'M 


80 


Urs  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAET. 


'I       m 


CHAP,  as  being  necessary  for  the  comfort  of  the  govemor^s 

v-v— '  family. 

17«.  «^n  humble  address"  was  voted  by  the  council  in  re- 
ply, drawn  up  by  De  Lancey.  The  appointment  of  the 
new  governor  was  received  "as  an  additional  evidence  of 
his  majesty's  affection  for  his  people,  and  his  zeal  for  th^ 
liberty  of  mankind,  lately  most  evidently  demonstrated  in 
his  exposing  his  sacred  person  to  the  greatest  dangers  in 
defence  of  the  liberty  of  Europe,"*  In  all  other  respects 
the  answer  was  an  echo  of  the  speech.  The  address  of 
the  house  was  more  than  an  ectho, — it  was  couched  in  lan- 
guage of  excessive  flattery  to  the  new  governor,  and  of  fawn- 
ing adulation  toward  the  sovereign,  who  was  designated 
"  the  darling  of  his  own  people,  and  the  glorious  preserver 
of  the  liberties  of  Europe."  There  was,  however,  a  dis; 
position  on  all  sides  to  be  pleased.  The  assembly  re^ 
sponded  to  the  demanded  appropriations, — 'Voting  the 
governor  fifteen  hundred  pounds  for  his  salary,  one  hund- 
red pounds  for  house  rent,  four  hundred  pounds  for  fuel 
and  candles,  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  to  enable  him 
to  visit  the  Indians,  and  eight  hundred  pounds  for  the 
purchase  of  presents  to  be  distributed  amongst  them. 
Other  appropriutions  were  made  -ni^on  a  scale  of  corres- 


I  The  battle  of  Dettingen,  in  Germany,  in  which  the  British  troops  and 
their  allies  obtained  a  brilliant  Tiotorj  over  a  powerful  divioion  of  th«  army 
of  the  Mareschal  de  Noailles,  commanded  \fy  the  Duke  de  Orammont.  The 
English  troops,  commandei  by  the  Earl  of  Stair,  were  joined  by  the  Duke 
of  Cumberland,  to  make  his  first  campaign,  and  by  his  majesty  (George  II), 
on  the  ninth  of  June.  The  English  with  their  allies,  were  moring,  on  the 
twenty-sixth  of  June,  toward  Hanau,  to  obtain  supplies^  and  to  join  the 
HanoTarians  and  Hessians,  when  they  were  met  iq  a  difficult  position  by 
the  French,  thirty  thousand  strong.  The  king  behared  very  gallantly  in 
the  engagement,  exposing  his  person  to  a  severe  fire  of  cannon  as  well  as 
musketry.  He  rode  between  the  first  and  second  lines  with  his  sword 
drawn,  and  encouraged  the  troops  to  fight  for  the  honor  of  Englaiid.  The 
French  were  defeated  with  the  loss  of  five  thousand  men.  They  might  have 
been  destroyed  had  the  advantage  been  promptly  followed  up. 


■>i)k 


LIFB  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


m 


ponding  liberality ;  and  the  governor  was  so  well  pleased  chap., 
with  the  good  temper  of  the  assembly,  that  he  signed  s>v—'. 
every  bill  presented  for  his  approbation,  without  a  mur-  ^      ■ 
mur  of  disapprobation,  not  even  excepting  the  supply- 
bill,  which,  notwithstanding  his  demand  to  the  contrary, 
in  the  opening  speech,  was  limited  to  the  year.    PW  w*"*?' 
But  notwithstanding  these  reciprocal  manifestations  of 
good  feeling ;  and  notwithstanding  also  the  amiable  traits 
of  the  governor's  natural  disposition,  it  will  be  seen  in  the 
progress  of  events  that  the  bluff  characteristics  of  the 
sailor  were  not  always  to  be  concealed ;  and  his  adminis- 
tration, in  process  of  time,  became  as  tempestuous  as  the 
element  upon  which  he  was  certainly  more  at  home  than 
upon  the  land.  ,;,.....;..,.  •  .;..».-.«,,,.;  ,  .  ,-_,:_,-^-,,  -^^i  mi.i  -;.„,.^i.,. 


> '  1 


I  a 


ilif': 


Until  after  ihe  arrival  of  Governor  Clinton  Mr.  Johnson 
seems  to  have  taken  no  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  the 
colony.  His  name  appears  in  none  of  the  public  records 
of  that  day ;  and  such  of  his  private  papers  as  have  es- 
caped the  ravages  of  time  and  revolution,  exhibit  him 
only  in  the  character  of  a  country  mei*chant,  enlarging  his 
business  from  y^ar  to  year,  increasing  rapidly  in  wealth, 
and  assiduously  cultivating  the  fHendship  and  language 
of  the  Indians.  Before  the  year  1743,  he  had  removed 
from  the  south  to  the  north  side  of  the-  river,  and  settled 
at  the  place  heretofore  described  as  Mount  Johnson. 
He  had  also  in  the  last  mentioned  year  become  connected 
with  the  fur-trade  at  the  important  trading  post  of  Oswe- 
go. ISoT  was  it  long  before  he  opened  a  correspondence 
on  his  own  account  with  the  opulent  house  of  Sir  "William 
Baker  &  Co.,  in  London.  As  his  fortunes  improved  rapidly, 
he  grew  with  equal  puce  in  the  public  estimation,  not 
only  among  the  people  of  his  own  region,  but  likewise  in 
Albany  and  Kew  York.  His  correspondence  during  this 
period  was  considerable,  indicating  an  extensive  business 
in  all  the  multifarious  departments  of  a  country  trading 
establishment,  independently  of  the  fur^trade,  in  which  he 


n 


4  '  --r 


rgssgmmfiJ 


i,     it 


:)'r  :  M 


>'> 


■m- 


UFB  OF  SIR  WILLUU  JOHNSON,  BART. 


11! 


dtffiK  Was  How  engaged,  and  his  commerce  with  the  Indians.  In 
v...^.^  his  business  transactions  "  he  by  no  means  lost  sight  of 
1748.  hig  own  interests,  but  on  the  contrary  raised  himself  to 
wealth  in  an  open  and  active  manner,  not  disdaining  any 
honorable  means  of  benefiting  himself;  but  at  the  same 
time  the  bad  policy,  as  well  as  meanness  of  sacrificing  re< 
spectability  to  snatching  present  advantages,  were  so 
obvious  to  him,  that  he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  future 
prosperity  on  the  broad  and  deep  basis  of  honorable  deal- 
ing, accompanied  by  the  most  vigilant  attention  to  the 
objects  he  had  in  view ;  acting  so  as  without  the  least  de- 
parture from  integrity  on  the  one  hand,  or  inattention  to 
his  affairs  on  the  dther,  to  conduct  himself  in  such  a  man> 
ner  as  gave  an  air  of  magnanimity  to  his  character,  that 
made  him  the  object  of  universal  confidence."*     .i-  ".  . 

"''''  Meantime  the  relations  between  Great  Britain  ahd 
Spain  had  undergone  a  change  demanding  the  services  of 
Mr.  Johnson's  uncle  and  patron.  Captain  Warren,  upon 
his  own  element.  After  a  long  series  of  aggressions  upon 
the  commerce  of  England  in  the  West  India  seas,  com- 
mitted by  the  Spaniards,  attended  often  by  the  utmost  in- 
solence, cruelty,  and  rapine,'  the  former  power,  aj^aling 
in  vain  to  the  court  of  Madrid  for  indemnification,  granted 
letters  of  marque  and  reprisal  against  the  Spaniards  in 
the  year  1789.  It  was  on  the  seventeenth  of  August 
of  that  year,  that  Mr.  Clarke,  the  lieutenant>-govemor, 
laid  before  his  council  his  majesty's  warrant,  authorizing 
the  government  of  New  York  to  issue  letters  of  marque 
and  reprisal  against  the  commerce  of  Spain.    Measures  to 

.V  *  JfiMioiV«  ofanAnuriean  Lady,  by  Blrs.  Gr»Bt.,;.j#jvl''ltJ  .i>*t&  .^'t*t''^it .' 

^^'  *  Smollett's  continuation  of  Hume.  Baneroft,  I  am  aware,  gives  anotiier 
aspeot  to  the  case,  Tide  History  of  the  United  Statei,  y<A.  ili,  pp.  486  and 
onward.  He  contends  that  England  was  the  aggressor^  and  the  capse  of 
war  was  with  Spain.  So  seems  to  have  thought  Walpole,  but  so  thpught 
not  Pulteney,  Pitt,  afterward  £avl  of  Chatham,  and  their  followers  ii|  and 
«at  of  parliament.  Nor  has  the  bi-illianoy  of  Bancroft's  style  and  argq- 
■tent  won  me  to  his  side  of  the  question. 


Vi  u. 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


8S 


Mr 

1 


that  end  were  immediately  adopted  by  the  council,  in-  oiur. 
eluding  the  specification  of  the  bonds  to  be  taken,  and  thev^.,,,^ 
forms  of  commissions  to  be  granted.^  !'*•• 

This  measure  was  soon  followed  by  an  open  rupture. 
The  British  squadron  in  the  Mediterranean  having  taken 
two  richly  laden  Spanish  merchantmen  from  Caraccas,  his 
Catholic  m%jes<y  ordered  all  the  English  ships  in  his  har* 
bors  to  be  seized  and  detained.  A  declaration  of  war 
could  no  longer  be  avoided  by  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  al- 
though  that  able  and  crafty  minister  had  labored  long  and 
earnestly  to  avoid  such  an  issue.'  The  declaration  by  the 
king  of  England,  was  proclaimed  in  October,  1739,  and 
Admiral  Vernon  was  forthwith  dispatched  in  the  com- 
mand of  a  fleet  against  the  Spanish  West  India  posses- 
sions ;  but  it  was  not  until  the  thirtieth  of  June  in  the 
following  year  that  the  fact  that  such  a  declaration  had 
been  issued,  was  officially  communicated  to  the  general 
assembly  by  Lieutenant-Governor  Clarke.  He  then  called 
upon  the  assembly  to  encourage,  by  bounty,  enlistments 
of  volunteers  to  join  his  majesty's  troops  engaged  in  the 
West  India  expedition ;  and  a  bill  was  shortly  afterward 
passed  making  provision  for  the  victualing  and  transport* 
ation  of  five  hundred  volunteers  in  that  service.'    From 

>  MS.  recordi  of  the  executive  oouneil  of  New  Tork.  It  appei^  by 
these  records,  howcTeri  that  the  privateering  business  bad  been  carried  on 
brislcly  from  the  port  of  New  Tork  for  the  two  or  three  preceding  years. 

<  Smollett.  It  was  upon  this  subject  of  their  Spanish  relations,  that  Sir 
Robert  Walpole  was  compelled  to  encounter  the  fierce  opposition  which 
marked  and  embittered  his  dosing  career.  Before  the  issuing  of  the  Iet« 
ters  of  marque,  a  convention  had  been  concluded  between  England  and 
Spain  (though  never  regarded  by  the  latter),  which  was  the  subject  of  the 
severest  condemnation  by  the  opposition,  and  was  denounced  with  the 
strongest  invective  by  Sir  William  Wyndham  and  Mr.  Pulteney,  in  the  com- 
mons ;  to  whom  Walpole,  losing  nis  temper,  repuea  m  a  manner  that  in- 
duced the  famous  secession  of  the  minority  from  the  house,  in  1788.  Those 
debates  have  been  greatly  extolled  for  their  eloquence  and  power.  In  the 
following  year,  however,  the  seoedins  members  resumed  their  seats,  with 
Mr.  Pulteney  at  their  head.         ''      ^■•■'^■'■^--    -•  -      -  ■- -    .-i 

>  Joumalt  of  the  Provmeial  At$embfy.  'j  i  .^^r*;"^ 


Hi 


i. 


1 

HH9«r.. '  - 

'■■M 

ijB| 

..J 

i 

^~1 

..:J 

84 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


ri  i.    .  1 


OHAP.  the  "West  Indies,  Vernon  directed  his  course  to  Porto 
wywBello,  which  became  an  easy  conqnest.  The  fortress  of 
1748.  Ohagre  was  also  taken  and  demolished  by  Vernon,  and 
Earope  was  made  to  resound  with  his  praises  for  these  ex- 
ploits. Lord  Cathcert,  to  whom  the  command  of  the  land 
forces  of  the  expedition  was  entmsted,  having  died  at  Do- 
minica, a  victim  to  the  climate,  the  command  devolved 
upon  "the  inexperienced  and  irresolute  Wentworth."* 
Expectation  was  high  in  regard  to  anticipated  triumphs ; 
and  in  May,  1741,  more  levies  were  required  from  the 
northern  colonies^  and  the  assembly  of  New  York  was  re- 
quired by  Mr.  Clarke  to  make  farther  appropriations  for 
this  servicct  It  was  hoped,  said  the  speech,  that  "  the 
glorious  beginning  would  excite  the  assembly  to  speedy 
and  generous  resolutions."  But  this  "glorious  begin- 
ning "  was  shortly  followed  by  the  miserable  ending  of 
the  expedition  against  Garthagena,  where,  weakened  by 
sickness  in  its  most  frightful  forms,  and  discouraged  by 
the  ill-judged  movements  of  their  commanders,  the  British 
troops  were  repulsed  in  an  attempt  to  storm  the  citadel, 
or  castle  commanding  the  town.  In  escaping  thence, 
Vernon  and  "Wentworth  attempted  to  retrieve  their  sad 
reverses  at  Garthagena  by  a  descent  upon  Guba.  A  land- 
ing was  effected  in  a  bay,  on  the  south-eastern  part  of  that 
island,  in  July,  1741,  and  the  troops  ascending  a  river, 
Encamped  about  twenty  miles  from  the  bay.  This  event 
was  announced  by  Mr.  Clarke,  in  a  speech  to  the  assem- 
bly, in  September.  General  "Wentworth,  it  waa  said,  had 
obtained  a  secure  footing  on  the  island,  and  recruits  and 
supplies  were  called  for  to  secure  the  conquest.'  But  they 
were  not  needed.  After  remaining  inactive  in  their  posi- 
tion till  the  month  of  November,  enfeebled  by  the  cli- 


*  Bftnoroft.  «f  ■;»^t»■M!'■r^JJ^^>■«^s■?.;'■.:^■!^^^»'^^f^■'.^<■ 


"tJ.-^J  nim: 


J  P  See  Joumalt  of  the  l*rovmeial  Auembfy.  In  this  speech  the  lieutenant- 
goTemor  recommended  the  enactment  of  laws  regulating  the  manufacture 
•ad  sale  of  floor  and  bread— denouncing  the  bolteirs  and  bakers  for  their 
flraads,  &c.  .■i«*jiji«'<sMi!».  kiw^t^iB^^  sAi 't**  sWr-^wv  . 


^rfff-'^ 


LifB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOBMBON,   BART.  IP 

mate,  and  their  numbers  wasted  by  sickness,  the  troops  cha». 
were  re-embarked,   and  sailed  to  Jamaica.'    The  wholes-^—* 
expedition  was  a  deplorable  failure.    The  levies,  from  the  ^''*'' 
colonies  nearly  all  perished  from  the  pestilence,  and  the 
entire  loss  of  lives  was  estimated  at  twenty  thousand.  Eng- 
land had  made  no  acquisitions,  and  had  inflicted  on  the 
Spanish  West  Indies  far  less  evil  than  she  herself  had 
suffered.'" 

Simultaneously  with  these  operations  in  the  West  In^' 
dies,  the  invasion  of  Florida  from  the  colonies,  had  been 
determined  on,  the  command  being  entrusted  to  General 
Oglethorpe, — the  benevolent  founder  of  Georgia, — who 
was  ordered  to  raise  levies  of  provincials  for  that  purpose 
from  South  Carolina  and  his  own  in£a,nt  plantations.  This 
expedition,  though  successfully  commenced  by  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  Diego,  distant  twenty-five  miles  from  St  Au- 
gustine, owing  to  a  combination  of  untoward  circum- 
stances, ended  in  disaster — the  general  having  been  com- 
pelled to  raise  the  siege  of  the  last  mentioned  fortress, 
under  circumstances  that  caused  great  and  mutual  dissat- 
isfaction between  the  troops  and  their  commander.' 

These  hostilities,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  required 
the  services  of  Captain  "Warren  at  sea,  to  which  he  seems 
to  have  been  ordered  very  soon  after  writing  the  letter  to 
his  nephew  cited  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  chapter ; 
inasmuch  as  he  was  engaged  in  the  squadron  of  Commo- 
dore Price,  co-operating  with  General  Oglethc  c  against 
St.  Augustine.  The  vessel  commanded  by  Capttin  War- 
ren at  this  time  is  not  mentioned ;  but  he  was  certainly 
there  at  the  time  in  question,  for  when  it  was  found  that 
the  town  could  not  be  effectively  cannonaded  from  the 
batteries  erected  by  Oglethorpe  on  an  island  in  the  river 
opposite,  because  of  the  distance,  a  plan  was  proposed  for  a 
night  attack  upon  the  Spanish  galleys  which  prevented  the 


Ml 


lliN 


:i 


1  Smollett. 
*  Banoroft. 
3  ManhaU'B  Colonial  Hittwry. 


86 


LIVI  01  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


! 

oiur.  passage  of  the  river  for  a  direct  assault,  and  Captain  War- 
«.v-^ren  volunteered  to  conduct  the  enterprise.  '^But,  on 
^'*'*  sounding  the  bar,  the  water  was  found  too  shallow  to 
admit  the  passage  of  one  of  the  large  ships  to  the  attack, 
and  the  project  was  necessarily  abandoned."*  Probably, 
however,  Captain  Warren  was  then  in  command  of  the 
Squirrel,  a  twenty-gun  ship,  in  which  he  was  certainly 
cruising  upon  the  American  station  eighteen  months  af- 
terward. In  1742  he  commanded  the  Launceton,  of  forty 
guns,  in  which  he  captured  the  Peregrina  privateer, 
mounting  fourteen  carriage,  and  four  swivel  guns,  in  com- 
pany with  Captain  Edward  Aylmer,  of  the  Port  Mahon. 
Warren  was  subsequently  promoted  to  the  Superbe,  of 
sixty  guns,  in  which  he  was  ordered  to  the  West  Indies, 
where  he  was  left  by  Admiral  Sir  Chaloner  Ogle  in  com- 
mand as  commodore  of  a  small  squadron  on  the  Antigua' 
station.'  The  activity  of  his  after-life  probably  left  him 
but  little  time  to  reside  on  shore  in  New  York,  before  his 
return  to  and  settlement  in  England.    But  of  this  here- 

France  was  at  that  time  an  ally  of  Spain,  in  the  wars 
of  the  continent;  and  had  well  nigh  been  drawn  into  the 
contest  with  England  in  1741.  The  queen  of  Spain  hav- 
ing formed  a  plan  for  erecting  a  kingdom  for  her  second 
son,  Don  Philip,  from  some  of  the  Italian  dominions,  an 
army  of  fifteen  thousand  men  was  embarked  for  that  ob- 
ject at  Barcelona,  for  Orbitello,  which  was  convoyed  thither 
by  the  united  squadrons  of  France  and  Spain  —  passing 
the  straits  of  Gibraltar  in  the  night,  while  Admiral  Had- 
dock, with  a  fleet  of  twelve  sail  of  the  line  was  lying  in 
the  bay.  The  British  admiral  sailing  from  Gibraltar,  fell 
in  with  them  in  a  few  days,  and  discovered  both  squad- 
rons drawn  up  in  order  of  battle,  having  been  joined  by  the 
French  squadron  from  Toulon.    When  bearing  down  to 


1  Marshall's  Colonial  Hutoty. 
sChurnook. 


LIFB  or  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART« 


give  the  Spaniarda  battlo,  the  French  admiral  sont  a  flag  chap. 
to  the  English,  informing  him  that  inasmuch  as  the  French  w^ 
and  Spanish  fleets  were  engaged  in  a  jomt  expedition,  he  ^^^^- 
shonld  be  obligeil  to  act  in  concert  with  his  master's  allies. 
The  combined  fleets  amounted  to  double  the  number  of 
the  English  ships ;  and  the  interposition  of  the  French 
admiral  prevented  an  engagement.^    8till  the  time  was 
not  far  distant  when  France  became  involved  in  the  con- 
test with  England,  by  reason  of  espousing  the  cause  of 
the  Chevalier  de  St.  George,  usually  called  "  the  pretend- 
er."    And  an  expedition  in  behalf  of  this  prince,  vfiih  a 
view  of  placing  him  upon  the  throne  of  his  ancestors,  the 
Stuarts,  under  a  belief  that  he  would  be  received  in  Scot- 
land with  acclamation,  was  set  on  foot  by  France  during 
the  present  year.    ^«        l  v  ^.  !  i    '  h 

■  ■        '  '.  k  t '  '  ' '  ■  1     ■       •  ■     ' . 

Advices  of  the  intended  invasion  of  his  migesty's  do- 1741 
minions,  in  behalf  of  "a  Popish  pretender,"  were  com- 
municated to  the  general  assembly  of  !N'ew  York  by  Gov- 
ernor Clinton,  in  April,  1744.  In  connection  wi.h  this 
anticipated  act  of  hostility,  which  would  of  course  extend 
to  the  contiguous  colonies  of  thv  two  countries,  efficient 
measures  were  urged  for  placing  the  country  in  a  posture 
of  defence.  The  temper  of  the  colony,  in  regard  to  this 
movement  of  France,  may  be  inferred  from  the  immediate 
action  of  the  assembly.  In  the  council.  Chief  Justice  De 
Lancey,  in  moving  an  address  of  thanks  for  the  speech,  / 
offered  also  a  resolution  expressive  of  the  abhorrence  of 
that  body  of  the  aos^gns  of  France  in  favor  of  the  pre- 
tender, and  declaiiug  that  the  civil  and  religious  rights  of 
his  mfyesty's  subjects  depended  on  the  Protestant  succes- 
sion. The  house  was  invited  to  join  in  the  address,  which 
request,  though  a  very  unusual  procedure,  was  readily 
acquiesced  in,  and  the  address  was  prepared  by  a  joint 
committee  of  the  two  houses.^    From  all  this  it  was  evi- 


ill' 


'Smollett.       ,  V       >  ' 

*Jiiurnak»fthiOolonialJMemblif.     ;>,..; 


..;  „.i  ,.,    .,\    -.  '-•  I;  fiiiAi  «■>  l-i.. 


88- 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1744. 


CHAP,  dent  that  a  war  was  very  near  at  hand,  and  that  the  fh>n- 
'  tiers  of  the  colony  might  again,  very  soon,  be  subjected  to 
the  ravages  of  a  foe  thfm  whose  tender  mercies  nothing 
could  be  more  cruel.      i'r«*%^rt«i'^  i m  i .«  <• 

An  appropriation  had  been  made  in  the  preceding  De- 
cember, to  enable  Go  omor  Clinton  to  meet  the  Six  Nations 
in  general  council.  But  no  such  conference  had  yet  taken 
place.  Happening  to  be  in  Albany,  however,  in  June  of 
the  present  year,  and  a  considerable  party  of  the  chiefs 
and  sachems  happening  to  be  there  also  at  the  same  time, 
an  interview  took  place  at  which  the  formalities  almost 
of  a  general  council  were  interchanged.  The  governor 
commenced  his  speech  by  inlbrming  them  that  he  had  it 
in  command  from  the  great  king  their  father,  to  tell  them 
of  his  desire  that  the  covenant  chain  between  them  should 
be  kept  bright  and  strong.  He  then  informed  them  how 
his  majesty  had  sent  an  army  into  Germany  the  preceding 
year^  which  had  been  treacherously  attacked  by  the 
French,  contrary  to  the  faith  of  treaties.  But  by  the 
courage  of  the  English  they  were  beaten,  and  obliged  to 
fly  across  the  Rhine.*  Not  only  so,  but  the  governor  told 
them  that  at  a  subsequent  day,  the  French  fleet  had  joined 
itself  to  the  fleet  of  his  majesty's  enemies,  the  Spaniards, 
and  having  attacked  the  British  fleet,  the  French  had 
again  been  beaten.'    After  this,  the  French  king  had  de- 

>  Referring  to  the  battle  of  Dettingen,  of  which  a  ^titf  aocount  haa  been 
given  in  a  preceding  note. 

*  Referring  to  the  irregular  and  unfortunate  engagement  between  the 
English  and  the  combined  French  and  Spanish  fleets,  off  Toulon,  on  the 
eleventh  and  twelfth  of  February,  1744.  The  English  commander  was  Ad- 
miral Matthews,  under  whom  was  Vice  Admiral  Lestook.  The  French 
commander  was  M.  de  Court ;  the  Spanish  Don  Navarro.  The  combined 
fleets  had  been  blockaded  in  Toulon.  But  on  attempting  to  get  to  sea, 
they  were  attacked  by  Matthews,  who  himself,  behaved  with  great  intre- 
pidity ;  but  failed  in  his  tactics.  Between  Matthews  and  Lestock,  a  bitter 
antagonistical  feeling  existed;  and  perceiving  the  enroneous  manoeuvers 
of  his  commander,  Lestock  furnished  a  precedent  for  Captain  Elliott,  in  the 
American  service,  on  Lake  Erie,  seventy  years  afterward,  by  manoeuver- 
ing  on  both  days,  so  as  to  keep  entirely  out  of  the  action.     For  this  eon- 


LUri  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART.  89 

clored  war  against  their  great  father,  who  in  turn  had  chap. 
declared  war  against  him.*  For  the  present,  the  governor  «-yw 
would  not  urge  them  upon  the  war-path.  lie  wished  ^^^ 
them  to  remain  at  home, —  to  bo  on  their  guard  against 
the  arts  of  the  French, —  and  to  communicate  whatever 
information  they  could  obtain  to  the  Indian  commissio^- 
ers  at  Albany.  In  recompense  for  their  fidelity,  they  wore 
promised  protection  by  the  English ;  but  they  were  also 
told  by  the  governor  that  he  should  expect  them  to  assist 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  war  whenever  called  upon  for 
that  purpose.  The  governor  farther  spoke  of  the  import- 
ance, to  them,  of  maintaining  the  post  of  Oswego,  where 
they  could  always  purchase  goods  cheaper  than  they  could 
of  the  French.  The  French  had  their  eye  upon  this  post, 
to  defend  which  six  pieces  of  ordnance  had  receutly  been 
forwarded  thither ;  and  should  it  bo  attacked,  the  govern- 
or expected  the  Six  Nations  to  assist  in  its  defence.  In 
conclusion,  the  governor  reminded  them  of  the  promise 
formerly  made  by  the  Oayugas  and  Senecas,  that  they 
would  concentrate  their  people  and  unite  their  castles.  If 
this  measure  had  not  been  executed,  he  hoped  they  would 
attend  to  it  as  soon  as  possible ;  since,  in  this  time  pf  war, 
a  union  of  their  nations  would  greatly  add  to  their  strength 
and  reputation.  They  had  likewise  promised  that  no 
Frenchmen  should  be  suffered  to  live  among  them ;  which 
promise  the  governor  hoped  they  had  kept. 

This  speech  was  delivered  on  the  eighteenth  of  June. 
Two  days  afterward  the  chiefs  replied ;  but  not  in  a  man- 
ner altogether  satisfactory  to  the  governor  upon  the  main 
subject  of  his  speech — the  war  with  France.  True,  they 
reciprocated  his  excellency's  professions  of  friendship  with 


duot,  LcMtook  was  brought  to  a  court  marshal,  but  instead  of  being  pun- 
ished, as  he  deserred,  Matthews,  who  had  really  fought  with  gallant  dar- 
ing, was  dismissed  the  serrioe  for  allowing  the  fleets  to  escape  him !  Such 
is  the  caprice  of  fortune. 

I  The  French  declaration  qt  the  war  of  1744,  was  dated  on  the  twentieth 
day  of  March.  On  the  thirty-first  day  of  March,  the  English  deoU|ra^qn 
published  amidst  the  aocloniationB  of  the  people.  .:    >       ...,:,,%■ 

12 


i'  '    Uti 


nil: 


1. 


i 

LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 

c^p.  as  much  apparent  cordiality  as  ever.  It  was  their  deter- 
w yw  mination  to  strengthen  the  covenant  chain,  and  keep  it 
^^**'  strong  and  bright  as  long  as  the  sun  endures.  Indeed, 
"  we  will  preserve  it  so  strong  and  keep  it  so  bright,  that 
it  shall  not  be  in  the  power  of  the  devil  himself,  with  any 
of  his  wiles  and  arts,  to  break  or  rust  it."  Yet  they  were 
not  remarkably  anxious  to  prove  their  friendship  by  going 
upon  the  war-path.  They  said  they  understood  all  that 
had  been  said  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  French  and 
the  war.  But,  as  to  engaging  in  it,  that  seemed  to  be 
another  affair.  They  were  indeed  a  warlike  people,  and 
they  had  never  yet  been  engaged  in  a  war  in  which  they  had 
not  sooner  or  later  prevailed.  But  they  did  not  now  like 
to  begin  the  war  with  Canada.  It  would  be  time  enough 
when  the  enemy  himself  had  taken  up  the  hatchet.  When 
the  enemy  should  have  attacked  any  of  the  subjects  of  the 
great  king,  their  father,  they  would  be  ready  to  join  in 
defending  themselves  against  them.  In  reference  to  the 
post  of  Oswego,  they  wore  glad  it  was  to  be  preserved ; 
but,  as  to  its  immediate  advantages  to  them,  in  their  trade, 
these  were  not  so  great  as  when  first  established ;  they 
sold  goods  cheaper  to  the  Indians  then,  than  they  do  now. 
They  liked  the  officer  in  command  there,  and  wished 
goods  might  become  as  cheap  as  before.  Yet,  should  it 
be  attacked,  they  would  aid  in  its  defence.  In  regard  to 
the  proposed  concentration  of  their  two  western  nations, 
the  Cayugas  and  Senecas,  they  were  too  busy  to  do  it  now. 
Nor  would  they  send  from  among  them  any  of  the  French 
that  might  be  residing  with  their  people.  "  "We  have  just 
told  you  we  are  for  peace,  and  must  await  the  attacks  of 
the  enemy.  Should  we  take  hold  of  any  French  that 
came  among  us,  we  should  be  the  first  aggressors."  * 

The  apprehensions  expressed  by  the  governor,  respect- 
ing Oswego,  were  by  no  means  groundless.  On  the 
twenty-fourth  of  June  he  laid  before  the  council  letters 

1  The  prooeodings  of  this  inoideatnl  council  may  b?  found  at  large  in 
the  Council  Minutes. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


91 


-*f 


from  the  commandant  of  Oswego,  advising  that  Monsieur  chap. 
Micol  Hayden  had  ascended  Lake  Ontario  past  that  post,  w^w 
with  a  small  force  (prohably  of  observation) ;  and  some  ^'**' 
Indian  scouts  had  returned  from  Cadaracqui,  with  intelli- 
gence that  the  French  were  collecting  a  force  of  eight 
hundred  men  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  Oswego,  and 
were  only  waiting  for  the  an-ival  of  their  fleet  in  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  complete  their  arrangements  and  make  the 
descent.^  ^JitJlkK  9R-.WM>iAmsi'iim^:f-^m:H^"<^  -^fir.  f-t  fvil^?;*^ 
But  the  largest  and  most  important  Lidian  oouncil  of  the 
year  1744,  and  upon  which  the  principal  sachems  and  chiefs 
of  the  Six  Nations  were  in  attendance  nearly  at  the  same 
time  that  Mr.  Clinton  was  holding  his  conference  with 
others  of  their  chiefs  at  Albany,  took  place  at  Lancaster, 
in  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania,  commencing  on  the  twenty- 
second  day  of  June,  t.'^d  ending  on  the  fourth  of  July. 
This  council  was  convened  at  the  solicitation  of  Lieutenant* 
Governor  Thomas,  of  that  colony,  who  had  assumed  the 
office  of  mediator  between  the  Six  Nations  and  the  colonies 
of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  in  regard  to  the  ownerships  of 
certain  districts  of  country  within  the  extending  borders 
of  those  colonies,  claimed  by  the  Six  Nations.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  complaints  of  trespasses  upon  those 
lands,  especially  by  the  people  of  Maryland,  were  uttered 
by  the  Six  Nations  in  Philadelphia  two  years  before,  'and 
also  that  the  governor  of  Maryland  was  written  to  upon 
the  subject  by  the  council  of  Pennsylvania  at  that  time, — 
the  Indians  having  intimated  a  threat  that,  if  their  com- 
plaints were  not  attended  to,  they  were  able  to  do  justice 
to  themselves.  Mr.  Thomas  had  also  acted  as  a  media- 
tor between  the  Virginians  and  the  Six  Nations,  touch- 
ing the  skirmish  between  a  party  of  Iroquois  warriors  and 
a  small  body  of  Virginia  militia-men,  under  Captains 
M'Dowell  and  Buchanan,  which  occurred  in  the  back  part 
of  the  colony,  in  December,  1742,  the  particulars  of  which 
have  already  been  related.    By  means  of  this  intei-posi- 

1  dnnnril  IWinutfii 


■  i  \\ 


*<H>  <«'«-<:■ 


92 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOBNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  tion,  the  difficulty  had  been  adjusted; — both  parties  agree- 


n. 


I  1  i 


i<      >i 


!       i 

) 


f'iiil 


I      I 


')M 


>  ing  to  lay  down  their  arms  and  bury  the  transaction  in 
1744.  oblivion ;  Virginia  cementing  the  reconciliation  by  a  pre- 
sent of  goods  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  pounds.  Yet 
the  land-controversy  remained  for  adjustment ;  although 
it  was  not  apparent  at  the  council  of  1742,  that  the  claim 
of  the  Indians  extended  to  any  lands  upon  which  the  pale 
faces  had  trespassed  in  Virginia.  They  were  indeed  re- 
ported by  the  Indian  commissioners  at  Albany,  in  their 
dispatches  to  Lieutenant-Governor  Clarke,  to  have  disa- 
vowed ihaking  any  such  claim.  But  that  was  a  wide  mis- 
understanding between  the  parties,  since  the  claim  was 
advanced  upon  Virginia  as  well  as  Maryland;  and  this 
council  was  invited  by  Mr.  Thomas,  for  the  purpose,  if 
possible,  of  effecting  such  an  adjustment  of  the  contro- 
versy between  the  parties  respectively,  as  should  be  satis- 
fiujtoiy  to  them  all.    -^av^«^'  -At-t  ■t^-ff-v-a  .<y  j.:ij'j  ^m  s'  u'->-;-;.j.i  '.- 

"No  doubt  the  anxiety  of  Mr.  Hibmas  to  bring  about  a 
reconciliiation,  was  quickened  by  the  impending  conflict 
with  France.  He  saw  the  importance  of  the  Six  Nations 
as  ft  barrier  between  the  English  and  French  colonies.  If 
Mends,  to  quote  nearly  his  own  language,  they  were  capa- 
ble of  defending  the  English  settlements ;  if  enemies,  of 
making  cruel  ravages  upon  them ;  if  neutral,  they  could 
deny  the  French  a  passage  through  their  country  to  strike 
the  English  settlements,  and  moreover  give  timely  inform- 
atioli  6f  their  designs.  The  advantages  of  cultivating  a 
good  understanding  with  them  were  therefore  obvious, 
while  equally  evident  were  the  disadvantages  of  a  rupture. 
Hence  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Thomas  to  gather  the  present 
council,  to  which  Virginia  had  commissioned  as  delegates 
the  Honorable  Thomas  Lee,  and  Colonel  William  Beverley, 
and  Maryland  the  Honorable  Edmund  Jennings,  Philip 
Thomas,  Esquire,  and  Colonels  Robert  King  and  Thomas 
Calvil.  Mr.  "Witham  Marshe  was  appointed  secretary  to 
the  commission,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Craddock  chaplain.' 

^Witham  Marehe  —  afterward  Sir  William   Johnson's   secretary  —  has 
left  a  very  partioulftr  and  edifying  journal  of  his  journey  to  and  ftom  this 


■"1^« 


itFfi  Of  siit  WittiAift  JdHi^soN,  bar¥.  II 

The  nurj      p  of  Indiiln  deputies  present— chiefs  and  sa- chap. 
chems,— i3  not  stated;   but  they  came  like  a  caravan, <*v-' 
accompanied  by  warriors  who  were  not  chiefs,  and  by  woi- 1^^^** 
men  and  children  and  old  men,  to  the  number  of  more 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons.  Several  of  their  women 
and  children  were  mounted  on  horseback,  "  a  thing  very 
unusual  with  them ;"  and  their  warriors  were  armed  with 
muskets,  bows  and  arrows,  and  tomahawks.*    On  enter- 
ing the  village  of  Lancaster,  "a  great  multitude  of  people 
followed  them.    They  marched  in  very  good  order,  with 
Canassateego,  one  of  the  Onondaga  chiefs  at  their  head ; 
who,  when  he  came  near  to  the  quarters  of  the  commis- 
sioners, sung,  in  the  Indian  language,  a  song,  inviting  to 
a  renewal  of  all  treaties  heretofore  made,  and  to  the  nego- 
tiation of  a  new  one."'        * ' '  ''■  ;■><  ;»  ^i    '• ;  '<.ui 

The  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Gayugas,  Senecas  and  Tusca- 
roras  were  each  represented.  The  Mohawks  were  not. 
Canassateego  and  Tachanoontia,  Onondagas,  and  Gdch- 
radodow,  a  Cayuga,  were  the  speakers,  and  Conrad  Wei- 
ser,  whose  Indian  name  was  Tarachawagon,  as  usual,  the 
interpreter.    '■'•..' i^.-I-^j';:. /is  ■'■-jy.-'i  y^^':^f.i: iiT:H.v\)    ^h^^u-i-'i^ 

The  chiefs  with  their  retinue,  formed  an  encampment  in 
the  precincts  of  the  town,  which,  from  the  descriptions  of 
honest  Witham  Marshe,  must  have  presented  a  rare  ex- 
ample of  the  picturesque  in  human  life.  While  the  sages 
were  in  council,  the  women  occupied  themselves  with 
their  usual  domestic  concerns,  and  the  children  frolicked 
about  at  their  option  —  the  boys  making  strong  their  arms 
by  stringing  the  bow,  and  improving  their  skill  by  speed- 
ing the  arrow,  or  hurling  their  little  hatchets  —  acquiring 
the  art,  in  anticipation  of  going  upon  the  war-path,  of 
planting  the  hatchet  in  the  trunk  of  a  tree  within  the 

council,  and  of  its  proceedings  from  day  to  day,  to  whicti  I  sliall  have  oc- 
casion more  than  once  to  refer.  Tliis  curious  itinerary  may  be  found  in 
vol.  vii,  Mast.  HU.  Coll. 

*  Marshe's  Journal. 

'  Idem. 


!  ''■ 
■  "i  I 


^ 


94 


LIFE  OF  SIB  WILLUH  JOHHSON,  BART. 


OHAP.  diameter  of  a  hair  of  the  mark.  In  the  evenings,  when 
w^—/  the  graver  affairs  of  the  day  were  ended,  and  the  fires  wero 
1744.  lighted,  the  young  men  indulged  in  their  favorite  sports 
and  games,  wild  and  grotesque,  before  the  groups  of  palo 
faces  that  gathered  around  their  encampment ;  now  illus- 
trating the  pow*wow  dance,  and  now  seizing  a  spear  in 
one  hand  and  a  hatchet  in  the  other,  making  the  woods 
ring  with  the  shrill  war  whoop,  as  around  the  blazing 
fire  they  performed  the  threatening  war-dance.  Among 
the  friends  to  the  mission  was  the  celebrated  Catherine 
Montour, —  a  princess  of  the  Senecas  residing  at  the  head 
of  Seneca  lake  in  the  midst  of  a  clan  whom  she  ruled. 
Mrs.  Montour  was  a  half-breed,  her  father  according  to 
tradition  and  her  own  story,  having  been  governor  of 
Canada,  and  her  mother  a  Huron.  Until  about  ten  years 
of  age,  she  had  been  carefully  reared  and  educated,  au^ 
her  manners,  even  then,  in  her  old  age,  were  aftable,  and 
comparatively  polite.  During  the  war  between  the  Six 
ITations  and  the  French  and  Hurons,  she  was  captured  and 
carried  into  the  country  of  the  Senecas,  by  whom  she  was 
adopted.  On  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  she  was  mar- 
ried to  a  famous  war-captain,  who  was  in  great  esteem  for 
the  glory  he  achieved  for  his  people  in  their  wars  against 
the  Catawbas,  by  whom  she  had  several  children.  About 
fifteen  years  before  the  date  of  this  council,  her  chief  was 
slain  by  the  Catawbas.  She  had  two  daughters,  both 
married  to  war-captains,  who  were  then  upon  the  war- 
path at  the  south.  She  had  also  a  son,  John,  a  man  of 
great  prowess,  then  absent  against  the  Catawbas.  He  was 
a  brave  partisan  warrior  at  a  later  period,  and  a  great 
favorite  of  Sir  William  Johnson  —  being  often  in  his  ser- 
vice. Although  so  young  when  made  a  prisoner,  she  had 
nevertheless  preserved  her  language ;  and  being  in  youth 
and  middle  age  very  handsome,  and  of  good  address,  she 
had  been  greatly  caressed  by  the  gentlewomen  of  Phila- 
delphia during  her  occasional  visits  to  that  city  with  her 
people  on  business.    Indeed  she  was  always  held  in  great 


!*w^         f: 


'■  11 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART.  fV 

esteem  by  the  white  people,  invited  to  their  houses,  and  chap. 
entertained  with  marked  civility.^  s-v-' 

The  business  of  the  council  was  opened  by  Mr.  Thomas,  ^'^**' 
in  a  speech  addressed  chiefly  to  the  commissioners  of 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  who  at  its  close  were  formally  in- 
troduced to  the  dusky  ambassadors  "  as  brethren  who  had 
come  to  enlarge  the  fire  which  had  almost  gone  out,  and 
to  brighten  the  chain  which  had  contracted  some  rust." 
To  the  chiefs  he  said :  "  receive  these  your  brethren  with 
open  arms,  and  unite  yourselves  to  them  in  the  covenant 
chain  as  one  body  and  one  soul."  The  speech  was  closed 
with  exhortations  to  the  Indians  of  fidelity  toward  the 
English,  and  by  the  oft-repeated  cautions  against  the  arts 
and  designs  of  the  French.  Canassateego  replied  that  the 
Indians  had  always  considered  Assaragoa,*  and  the  gov- 
ernor of  Maryland  as  their  friends ;  but  inasmuch  as  they 
had  met  to  adjust  disputes  about  land,  he  preferred  having 
that  business  settled  first,  after  which  they  could  proceed 
"to  confirm  the  friendship  subsisting  between  them." 

The  Maryland  commissioners  opened  their  case  first. 
They  were  surprised  when  they  heard  of  the  claim  of  the 
Six  Nations  two  years  ago,  to  any  of  their  lands,  and  were 
displeased  at  the  threat  with  which  they  had  accompanied 
their  complaint, —  as  though  they  had  designed  to  terrify 
the  people  of  Maryland  into  a  compliance  with  their  de- 
mands. The  people  of  Maryland  had  been  in  possession 
of  the  lands  in  question  more  than  a  hundred  years,  with- 
out having  heard  of  this  claim.  Ninety  years  ago  the 
Susquehanna  Indians  had  by  treaty  relinquished  those 
lands.  Sixty  years  ago  the  Six  Nations  had  acknow- 
ledged, at  Albany,  that  they  had  given  up  their  lands  and 
submitted  themselves  to  the  king  of  England.  In  a  word, 
they  believed  the  Six  Nations  had  no  rightful  claim  what- 
ever to  the  territory  in  dispute.     "  They  had  now  laid 


«' 


is 


>  Witham  Marshe's  Journal. 

*  The  name  which  the  Indians  had  conferred  upon  the  governor  of  Tir- 
ginia.  and  by  which  thev  alwnya  Addregged  him  or  his  renresentatiyes. 


"T*" 


96 


LI79  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


;( 


CHAP,  their  bosoms  bftre ;"  and  yet  they  were  willing,  in  order 
wv— '  to  remove  every  cause  of  contention,  to  make  the  Six  Na- 
*'**•  tiona  a  valuable  present  of  goods,  which  they  had  brought 
along  "in  a  chest,  with  the  key  in^heir  iiocket," 

Canassateego  replied.^  It  was  true  that  the  Indians,  in 
making  their  complaint  against  the  trespasses  upon  their 
lands  by  tie  people  of  Maryland,  had  used  language  "  that 
looked  like  a  design  to  terrify  you."  He  admitted  that 
they  had  done  so.  They  had  complained  in  regard  to 
trespasses  upon  their  lands  about  seven  years  ago.  But  no 
notice  was  taken  of  their  complaint.  "  Two  years  ago, 
therefore,  they  resolved  to  use  such  language  as  would 
make  the  greatest  impression  on  your  minds,  and  we  find 
it  has  had  its  effect.  You  will  soon  have  understood  our 
expressions  in  their  true  sense.  We  had  no  evil  design,^ — 
no  desire  to  terrify  you,  but  to  put  you  on  doing  the  juet- 
tice  you  have  so  long  delayed."  Having  thus  explained 
the  Intention  of  their  menace,  and  added  the  strong- 
est assurances  of  their  good  disposition  toward  the  com- 
missioners, the  chief  proceeded  to  discuss  the  nature  of 
their  claim,  and  its  history, —  commencing  in  true  Indian 
style,  with  the  first  planting  of  the  European  colonies  in 
America.  "  When  you  mentioned  the  affair  of  the  land 
yesterday,  you  went  back  to  old  times.  You  told  us  you 
had  been  in  possession  of  the  province  of  Maryland  above 
one  himdred  years ;  but  what  is  one  hundred  years,  in 
compa^son  of  the  length  of  time  since  our  claim  began  ? 
since  we  came  out  of  this  ground?  Long  before  one 
hundred  years  our  ancestors  came  out  of  lids  very  ground, 
and  their  children  have  remainied  here  ever  since.  You 
came  out  of  the  ground  in  a  country  that  lies  beyond  the 

1  For  some  account  of  this  Indian  counselor,  and  an  interesting  anecdote 
eonoeming  hun,  see  Proud's  Pennsylvania,  and  also  the  author's  history 
of  Wyoming.  Witham  Marshe  says  of  him :  «  He  was  a  tall,  well  made 
man ;  had  a  very  full  chest,  and  brawny  limbs.  He  had  a  manly  counte- 
nance, mixed  with  a  good  natured  smile.  He  was  about  sixty  years  of 
age ;  very  active,  strong,  and  had  a  surprising  liveliness  in  his  speech, 
which  I  observed  betwixt  him,  Mr.  Weiser,  and  some  of  the  sachems." 


LIFE  OP  SIR  TVILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


97 


floas.  There  you  may  have  a  just  claim,  but  here  you  chap. 
must  allow  U8  to  be  your  elder  brethren.  It  is  true  that  w,^-* 
above  one  hundred  years  ago  the  Dutch  came  here  in  a  ^'**' 
ship,  and  brought  us  goods— ^ such  as  awls,  hatchets, 
knives,  guns,  and  other  things.  And  when  they  had 
taught  us  how  to  use  them,  and  saw  what  sort  of  people 
they  were,  we  liked  them  so  well  that  we  tied  their  ship 
to  the  bushes  on  the  shore.  Afterward,  liking  them  still 
better  the  longer  they  staid  with  us,  and  thinking  the 
bushes  too  slender,  we  removed  the  rope  and  tied  it  to  the 
trees;  and  as  the  trees  were  likely  to  be  blown  down  by 
the  high  winds,  or  to  decay  of  themselves,  we,  from  the 
aftection  we  bore  them,  again  removed  the  rope,  and  tied 
it  to  a  strong  and  big  rock.^  Not  content  with  this,  for 
its  further  security,  we  removed  the  rope  to  the  Big  Moun- 
tain, and  there  we  tied  it  very  fast,  and  rolled  wampum 
about  it ;'  and,  to  make  it  still  more  secure,  we  stood 
upon  the  wampum  and  sat  down  upon  it.  To  prevent 
any  hurt  coming  to  it,  we  did  our  best  endeavors  that  it 
might  remain  uninjured  forever."  During  all  this  time, 
he  maintained,  the  Dutch  never  disputed  their  title  to  the 
land,  but  purchased  by  league  and  covenant,  as  they 
needed.  Then  came  the  English,  who,  the  Indians  were 
told,  became  one  people  with  the  Dutch.    The  English 

1  Here  the  interpreter  said  they  meant  the  Oneida  country.  They  were 
called  the  People  of  the  Rook,  firom  a  large  and  peculiar  stone  in  their 
country,  which,  according  to  their  tradition  was  moving  westward,  and  the 
nation  moved  with  that  stone,  or  rock.  Indeed  the  name,  Oneida,  signifies 
OkU  upriyht  stone.  By  some  of  the  Oneidas,  this  Oneida  stone  was  regarded 
as  a  proper  emblem,  or  representation  of  the  divinity  whom  they  worshiped. 
"This  stone,"  says  the  late  Rev.  Jeddediah  Morse,  D.  D.,  in  one  of  hia 
misHionary  tours,  "  we  saw.  It  is  of  a  rude,  unwrought  shape,  rather  in- 
clined to  cylindrical,  and  of  more  than  a  hundred  pounds  weight.  It  bears 
no  resemblance  to  any  of  the  stones  found  in  that  country.  From  whence 
it  was  brought,  no  one  can  tell.  The  tradition  is  that  it  follows  the  nation 
in  their  removals.  When  set  up  in  the  crotch  of  a  tree,  the  people  were 
supposed  invincible.'- 

'This  was  an  allusion  to  the  Onondaga  country — the  People  of  the  Big 
Mountain. 

18 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNBON,  BART. 


CHAP,  governor  camo  to  Albany,  and  approving  mightily  of  tlio 
•— ^— '  friendship  between  the  Dutch  and  Indians,  wished  like- 
1744.  ^jgg  ^Q  fQj.jjj  Q^  league  with  the  Six  Nations.  "  Looking 
into  what  had  passed  between  us,  ho  found  that  the  ropu 
which  tied  the  ship  to  the  great  mountain,  was  only  fast- 
ened with  wampum,  which  was  liable  to  break  and  rot. 
Ho  therefore  told  us  he  would  give  us  a  silver  chain, 
which  would  be  much  stronger,  and  would  last  forever. 
This  we  accepted,  and  fastened  the  ship  with  it,  and  it  has 
lasted  ever  since."  Glancing  rapidly  over  the  history  of 
their  intercourse  with  the  English,  and  arguing  that  on 
the  whole  that  intercourse  had  been  of  no  advantage  to 
them,  the  arrival  of  William  Penn  was  thus  referred  to : 
"  Our  brother  Onas,  ^  great  while  ago,  came  to  Albany, 
to  buy  the  Susquehanna  lands  of  us ;  but  our  brother  the 
governor  of  Sew  York,  who,  as  we  supposed,  had  no^  a 
good  understanding  with  our  brother  Onas,  advised  us  not 
to  sell  him  any  land,  for  he  would  make  an  ill  use  of  it ; 
and,  pretending  to  be  our  good  friend,  he  advised  us,  in 
order  to  prevent  Onas,  or  any  other  person's  imposing 
upon  us,  and  that  we  might  always  have  our  land  when 
we  should  want  it,  to  put  it  into  his  hands ;  and  told  us 
he  would  keep  it  for  our  use,  and  never  open  his  hands, 
but  keep  them  close  shut,  and  not  part  with  any  of  it,  but 
at  our  own  request.  Accordingly  we  trusted  him,  and 
charged  him  to  keep  the  land  safe  for  our  use.  But  some 
time  after,  he  went  to  England,  and  carried  our  land  with 
him,  and  there  sold  it  to  our  brother  Onas  for  a  large  sum 
of  money ;  and  when  afterward,  we  were  minded  to  sell 
our  brother  Onas  some  of  our  lands,  he  told  us  that  we 
had  sold  them  to  the  governor  of  New  York,  already,  and 
that  he  had  bought  them  of  him  in  Eqgland !  But  when 
he  came  to  understand  how  the  governor  of  New  York 
had  deceived  us,  he  very  generously  paid  us  for  the  Sus- 
quehanna lands  over  again."     « ■!«  .  *    .i v     .;>.    ;>,v  ;,., ! 

Notwithstanding  the  dishonesty  thus  practiced  upon 
them  by  New  York,  however,  the  orator  admitted  that  in 
their  wars  with  the  French,  thev  had  received  such  assist- 


ance fr( 
their  h< 
mediate 
orator  s 
commis 
their  val 
sold  the 
gation  b 
to  sell  tl 
The  Si> 
those  lai 
tue  laudf 

l)088e88i( 

no,  nor 

manded 

people  o 

had  nev€ 

sioners  v 

were  will 

that  inae 

land  and  I 

the  Indif 

each,  noi 

they  wei 

and  justi| 

Next 
Lee,   of  I 
that  sevi 
in  behall 
for  certj 
alleged 
but  as  tl 
their  lani 
been  in 

*  CohongI 
Nations. 

» Dr.  Coll 


«3W 

I      ! 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOnNSON,   BART. 


99 


anco  from  New  York  as  had  enabled  them  "  to  keep  up  chap. 
their  heads  against  their  attacks."  In  regard  to  the  im- v-y— ' 
mediate  question  as  to  the  lands  now  in  controversy,  the  ^'^**' 
orator  said  they  had  examined  the  titles  adduced  by  the 
commissioners,  to  the  Susquehanna  lauds,  and  admitted 
their  validity.  The  Conestoga  or  Susquehanna  Indians  had 
sold  them  to  the  governor  of  Maryland  before  their  subju- 
gation by  the  Six  Nations,  and  therefore  they  had  a  right 
to  sell  them.  But  those  were  not  the  lands  in  dispute. 
The  Six  Nations  demanded  satisfaction  for  no  part  of 
those  lands,  but  their  claim  was  from  the  Cohongoron- 
tue  lands.'  Those,  they  were  sure,  had  not  been  in  the 
possession  of  the  people  of  Maryland  one  hundred  years, 
no,  nor  even  ten  years;  and  the  Six  Nations  had  de- 
manded satisfaction  so  soon  as  they  were  apprised  that  the 
people  of  Maryland  had  settled  down  upon  them.  They 
had  never  been  sold ;  but  understanding  that  the  commis- 
sioners were  provided  with  goods  to  pay  for  them,  they 
were  willing  to  treat  for  their  sale.  Canassateego  added, 
that  inasmuch  as  the  then  governors  of  Virginia,  Mary- 
land and  Pennsylvania  had  divided  the  lands  among  them, 
the  Indians  could  not  tell  how  much  had  been  taken  by 
each,  nor  were  they  concerned  on  that  account,  provided 
they  were  paid  by  the  parties  upon  the  principles  of  honor 
and  justice.* 

Next  in  order  the  discussion  was  resumed  by  Mr. 
Lee,  of  the  Virginia  commission,  who  acknowledged 
that  seven  years  before,  Onas  had  written  to  Assaragoa 
in  behalf  of  the  Six  Nations,  requesting  compensation 
for  certain  lands  claimed  by  them,  upon  which  they 
alleged  some  of  the  Virginians  had  taken  their  seats  ; 
but  as  they  had  heard  that  the  Six  Nations  had  given  up 
their  lands  to  the  great  king  long  ago,  and  aa  Virginia  had 
been  in  possession  one  hundred  and  sixty  years,  Assara- 

*  Cohongorontas,  the  name  by  which  the  Fotomao  was  called  by  the  Six 
Nations. 

*  Dr.  Colden's  account  of  the  treaty.  ,  \i   .^.  ,  ,  |  . 


ili' 


tf 


•^ 


100 


LIFE   OF  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   DART. 


1744. 


CHAP,  goa  thought  there  must  be  eome  mistake  in  the  matter. 
'  He  had  therefore  requested  the  govonior  of  New  York, 
nearly  two  years  ago,  to  make  some  inquiry  upon  the 
subject.  That  governor  sent  a  message  to  the  groat  coun- 
cil-fire at  Onondaga  more  than  a  year  ago,  to  which  the 
chiefs  answered,  "that  if  they  had  had  any  demands  or  pre- 
tensions upon  the  governor  of  Virginia,  they  would  have 
made  it  known  to  the  governor  of  New  York."  It  was 
clear,  therefore,  tliat  the  Six  Nations  had  no  claim  upon 
Virginia  for  the  Cohongorontas  lands,  nor  for  any  other. 
Yet,  continued  the  commissioners,  "  tell  us  what  nations 
of  Lidians  you  conquered  lands  from  in  Virginia,  how  many 
since,  and  what  possessions  you  have  had ;  and  if  it  ap- 
pears that  there  are  any  lands  on  the  borders  of  Virginia 
to  which  you  have  a  right,  we  are  willing  to  make  you 
satisfaction.  \ 

This  speech  was  pronounced  by  Canassateego  to  be 
very  good  and  agreeable;  and  after  the  usual  time  for 
consideration  with  the  Indians  had  elapsed,  Tachanoontia 
replied.*  He  said  they  claimed  the  lands  on  the  Susque- 
hanna and  on  the  Cohongorontas,  and  back  of  the  great 
mountains  by  the  right  of  conquest  —  "a  right  too  dearly 
purchased,  and  which  cost  too  much  blood,  to  be  given  up 
without  any  reason  at  all,  as  you  say  we  did  at  Albany." 
He  denied,  explicitly,  the  answer  said  to  have  been  re- 
turned to  Governor  Clarke's  message  from  Albany  the 
year  before.  No  such  answer  had  been  given  cither  by 
the  chiefs,  or  by  anybody  else.  If  they  held  the  fact  to 
be  otherwise,  he  demanded  vhe  letter.   He  next  proceeded 

>  Tachanoontia  was  an  Onondaga  sachem  and  warrior.  "  He  was  a  tall, 
thin  man ;  old,  and  not  so  well  featured  as  Canassateego,  but  about  the 
same  age.  Ho  is  one  of  the  greatest  warriors  that  over  the  Six  Nations 
produced,  and  has  been  a  great  war-captain  for  many  years  past.  This 
obief  was  also  called  fhe  Black  Prince,  because,  as  I  was  informed,  he 
was  either  the  son  of  an  Indian  woman  by  a  negro,  or  of  an  Indian  chief 
by  a  uegresB ;  but  by  which  of  the  two  I  could  not  be  well  assured.  The 
governor  of  Canada  will  not  treat  with  any  of  the  Six  Nation,  unless 
Tachanoontia  is  personally  present,  he  having  a  great  sway  in  all  the 
Indian  oouncila." — Witham  Marihe. 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON)   BART. 


101 


lm 


to  onnmerftto  five  several  nations  of  Indians  in  Virginia  chap. 
whom  the  Six  Nations  had  conquered,  "and  who  feel  thow.^^-/ 
oftectfl  of  our  conquests,  being  now  a  part  of  our  nations  ^^*** 
and  their  lands  at  our  disposal.    However,  the  chief  was 
not  disposed  to  prolong  the  discussion  concerning  the 
lands,  aa,  understanding  that  commissioners  were  provided 
with  goods,  ho  thought  that  question  could  be  easily 
adjusted. 

Before  closing  his  speech,  however,  Tachanoontia  re- 
ferred, for  the  purpose  apparently  of  making  an  expla- 
nation, to  the  skirmish  that  had  taken  place  in  the  back 
part  of  Virginia,  in  December,  1742,  between  a  party  of 
the  Six  Nations'  warriors  and  a  detachment  of  Virginia 
militia,  under  Captains  M'Dowell  and  Buchanan,  the  par- 
ticulars of  which  have  been  already  stated.  This  aiiair,  he 
asserted,  had  been  occasioned  solely  by  the  aggressions 
of  Virginia.  Twenty  years  ago,  at  the  treaty  held  by 
Governor  Spotteswood  in  Albany,  the  Six  Nations  had 
agreed  to  remove  their  road  to  the  middle  of  the  ridge  of 
the  great  mountains.  But  the  Virginians,  contrary  to 
the  stipulations  of  that  treaty,  had  settk  d  on  that  road  ; 
and  this  was  the  cau^e  of  the  affray.  The  Six  Nations 
then  removed  their  road  again  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains; "  but  it  was  not  long  before  your  people  came  like 
a  flock  of  birds,  and  sat  down  on  both  sides  of  it."  They 
could  not  remove  their  road  any  farther  back,  and  this 
matter,  said  the  chief,  must  be  settled  before  we  can 
make  any  grant  of  land.  "  The  Virginia  people  must  be 
obliged  to  remove  farther  easterly,  or,  if  they  stay,  our 
warriors  must  share  what  they  plant." 

The  proceedings  were  interlocutory,  the  Maryland  com- 
missioners interposing  at  this  stage  of  them,  and  after  a 
speech  denying,  peremptorily,  the  claim  of  the  Six  Na- 
tions, yet,  for  the  purpose  of  harmony, — that  they  might 
all  be  of  one  heart, —  offering  to  pay  for  a  title  to  the 
lands  in  dispute  the  sum  of  three  hundred  pounds  in 
goods. 

The  Virginia  commissioners  thereupon  renewed  the 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


<«Ar  di8CU«*lori 


»44. 


-  insiating  that  "  tho  king  liold  tho  entire  ter- 
ritory ol  Virgiiv;*  by  right  of  conquoBt,  to  tlie  wcHtwurd 
aa  far  as  tho  ^reiti  sea."  Even  if  tho  Six  Nation8  had 
conquerod  any  Indmnn  beyond  the  great  nioiuUaitiH,  tljoy 
yei  ^ad  never  poaseBsod  any  lands  there.  Wlut  tho  Kug- 
lish  came  thoi*»  lands  were  deserted.  But  aside  from  this 
fact,  the  IndiftT  *  were  reminded  once  more  of  their  re- 
linquishment of  their  lands  to  the  great  king  lifty-eight 
years  before,  in  a  treaty  with  tho  governor  of  Now  York,  at 
Albany.  Lord  Howard,  the  governor  of  Virginia,  being 
also  there.  They  had  then  not  only  given  up  their  landn 
to  the  king  tbr  his  protection,  but  declai-od  thcmsch  es 
his  subjects.'  lu  respect  to  the  affair  between  Cjii»tn,iu 
M'Dowell  and  a  party  of  their  warriors,  tho  comn'bsi  .n- 
ers  maintained  that  tho  Indians  had  not  kept  their  agree- 
ment with  Governor  Spotteswood,  not  to  pass  or  repasi^ 
within  certain  boundaries  without  written  passports,  either 
from  the  governor  of  New  York  or  of  Virginia.  "  What 
right  can  you  have  to  lands  that  you  have  uo  right  to  walk 
upon,  but  upon  certain  conditions  ?  Nor  would  there  have 
been  any  collision,  had  the  Six  Nations  kept  the  peace 
with  the  souf^c  m  Indians,  which  had  been  confirmed  at 
Albany  witii  Governor  Clarke.  It  was  owing  to  the 
war  they  were  (continuing  against  the  Catawbas,  that  tho 
skirmish  had  taken  place.  Yet,  after  all,  they,  tho  com- 
missioners, were  willing  to  adjust  the  diiticulty  upon  tho 
basis  of  Governor  Spotteswood's  treaty,  and  furthermore 
to  pay  any  reasonable  demand  which  the  Six  Nations  sup- 

1  This  was  in  the  year  1687.  The  following  passage  from  the  speecli  of 
the  Six  Nations  on  that  oooasion,  was  cited  by  the  Virginia  commissioners : 
"Brethren,  you  tell  us  the  king  of  Englf  in  a  /ery  groat  king,  and  why 
should  you  not  jt' .  with  us  in  any  just  en  iii>  v.  .the  Fronob  iu'u  will) 
our  enemies  in  a  yery  unjust  cause?  0 '■■.'"'i.r'M  n.^-.u  thereat  '  jitliis; 
for  the  French  would  fain  kill  us  all,  auu  wiiun  that  is  done,  they  would 
carry  all  the  bearer  trade  to  Canada,  and  the  great  king  of  England  would 
lose  the  land  likewise ;  and  therefore,  0  great  sachem,  beyond  the  great 
lakes,  awake,  and  suffer  not  those  poor  Indians,  that  have  given  themselves 
and  their  lauds  under  your  protection,  to  be  destroyed  by  the  French 
without  It  cause." 


If 


LirB   OF  HIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BAKT. 


108 


poflod  thomsolvoH  to  hiive  for  the  territory  thoy  claimed,  chaf. 
although,  as  they  had  beou  informed,  the  Houthern  IndiauH  wv— - 
were  claiming  the  san  i  Innds.  ^^**- 

It  18  quite  probaltlc  that  in  nil  these  diBcuHHionH,  tliore 
vvaH  duplicity  on  both  Vides.  Tlie  Indiana  saw  that  their 
own  importance  was  magiiitied  by  the  condition  of  tlie 
country;  while  the  comminni oners,  for  the  sauio  chiiho, 
were  prepared  to  accede,  to  a  considerable  extent,  even 
Lo  groundless  claims,  rather  than  give  such  umbrage  to 
the  Indians  as  might  by  any  possibility  drive  them  over  to 
the  French. 

The  Virginians  were  answered  by  a  Cayuga  cliiof  named 
Gachradodow  —  a  name  which  appears  in  this  negotiation 
only,  so  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with  Indian  history.  Ad- 
dressing "Brother  Assaragoa" — "The  world,"  said  he, 
at  the  first,  was  made  on  the  other  side  of  the  groat  water, 
very  different  from  what  it  was  on  this  side,  as  uay  be 
known  from  the  different  colors  of  our  skin  and  our  flesh; 
and  that  which  you  call  justice,  may  not  be  so  amc  ng  us. 
The  great  king  might  send  you  over  to  conquer  t  lO  In- 
dians, but  it  looks  to  us  that  God  did  not  approve  of  it. 
If  He  had.  Ho  would  not  have  placed  the  great  sea  be- 
tween us  whore  it  is.  Though  great  things  are  ren  em- 
bered  among  us,  yet  we  don't  remember  that  we  wore 
ever  conquered  by  the  great  king,  or  that  we  have  b**en 
employed  by  that  king  to  conquer  others.  If  it  was  so, 
it  is  beyond  our  memories.  We  do  remember  we  w«^re 
employed  by  Maryland  to  conquer  the  Conestogas,  and  tiie 
second  time  we  were  at  war  with  them,  he  carried  them  all 
off."  Gachradodow  next  proceeded  to  explain  their  conduct 
respecting  the  Catawbas.  They  had,  it  was  true,  at  A  ■ 
hany.  when  their  brother  Assaragoa  sent  them  some  belt 
of  wampum  from  the  Cherokees  and  Catawbas,  agreed  to  a 
peace  with  those  nations,  on  the  condition  that  they 
should  send  some  of  their  great  men  "  to  confirm  it  face 
to  face."  The  Cherokees  came,  and  after  the  peace  was 
confirmed,  the  Six  Nations  escorted  them  back  to  their 
own  country  in  safety.     But  the  Catawbas  refused  to 


ii 


H 


•"H^k.. 


104 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1 

1 

1 

j  ■ 

'!!    , 

1744. 


CHAP. como,  and  sent  a  taunting  mossago.  "They  sent  word 
that  wo  were  but  women  ;  that  they  were  men, —  double 
men, — and  that  they  would  bo  always  at  war  with  us.  They 
have  boon  treacherous,  and  know  it ;  so  that  the  war  must 
be  continued  till  one  of  us  is  destroyed.  Be  not  troubled 
at  what  we  do  to  the  Catawbas."  The  orator  proceeded 
to  touch  upon  other  points  in  the  epeech  of  the  Virginia 
commissioners, — but  intimated  that  if  the  goods  they  had 
brought  were  sufficient  in  quantity  and  value,  their  diffi- 
culties might  be  adjusted.  "You  told  us  that  you  had  a 
ciiest  of  goods,  and  the  key  in  your  pocket.  But  we 
have  never  seen  the  chest,  or  the  goods.  It  may  be  small, 
and  the  goods  few.  We  want  to  see  them,  and  come  to 
some  conclusion.  Wo  have  been  sleeping  here  these  ten 
days,  and  have  done  nothing  tc  the  purpose."  '•!!     ■ 

The  public  discussions  of  the  land  questions,  of  which 
I  have  barely  atten\pted  to  sketch  the  leading  features, 
ceased  at  tliis  point.  It  had  been  all  along  evident  that 
the  Indians  were  willing  to  grant  whatever  Maryland  and 
Virginia  desired  ;  while,  as  has  been  seen,  both  of  those 
colonies,  while  in  terms  denying  the  Indians  any  rights  in 
the  premises,  were  from  policy  disposed  to  buy  them  oft" 
at  reasonable  sums.  The  commissioners  having  prepared 
maps  of  the  districts,  the  Indian  title  to  which  they  were 
now  finally  to  extinguish,  and  the  Indians  having  assented 
thereto,  the  goods  to  be  given  in  consideration  were 
brought  for  the  examination  o^  the  purchasers.  By  a 
previous  stipulation  with  Mr.  Thomas,  Virginia  was  to  pay 
one  hundred  pounds  value  in  goods,  to  heal  the  border 
skirmish  in  which  Captain  M'Dowell  fell.  To  this  amount 
was  now  added  two  hundred  pounds  in  goods,  and  one 
hundred  in  gold.  The  commissioners  of  Maryland,  also, 
as  an  equivalent  for  the  disputed  land  already  in  their 
possession,  proposed  a  payment  of  goods  to  the  amount  of 
two  hundred  pounds,  and  a  like  addition  of  one  hundred 
pounds  in  gold.  The  negotiation  was  thus  closed,  and 
the  deeds  executed.  The  lands  in  Maryland  were  "  con- 
firmed to  Lord  Baltimore  witii  definite  limits 


*  UanoroH 


LIFJS  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


106 


to  Virginia  extended  the  claim  of  that  colony  indefinitely  chap. 
to  the  west  and  nojthwest."  ^  But  in  executing  this  last^^^ 
conveyance,  the  Indians  stipulated  that  their  case  should  *7*f 
he  commanded  to  the  consideration  of  the  groat  king, 
Hhould  their  brother  Assavagoa  push  his  settlements  yet 
farther  back  beyond  the  line  of  their  "  great  road" — the 
right  to  which  road  was  again  confirmed.  But  vain  were 
all  these  stipulations  to  save  the  red  ma/U  from  his  doom  ! 
These  matters  having  thus  been  adjusted  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  parties,  it  was  determined  by  the  Maryland 
commissioners  to  give  the  chiefs  by  special  invitation,  a 
grand  entertainment, —  at  which,  of  course  all  the  dis- 
tinguished gentlemen  in  attendance  upon  the  council  were 
guests.  Twenty-four  Indian  dignitaries  attended  the  feast, 
which  was  served  with  uncommon  preparation  and  cere- 
mony, in  the  court-house.  Governor  Thomas  presiding. 
Five  tables  were  spread,  the  sachems  being  seated  by 
themselves,  with  Canassateego  at  their  head.  "  The  chiefs 
seemed  prodigiously  pleased  with  their  feast,  for  they  fed 
lustily  and  drank  heartily,"  says  honest  "Witham  Marshe. 
After  dinner,  being  warmed  into  a  glow  of  good  feeling,  the 
Indians,  through  the  interpreter,  informed  Governor  Tho- 
mas, that  as  Lord  Baltimore,  the  proprietary  and  governor 
of  Maryland  was  not  known  to  the  Indians  by  any  particular 
name,  they  had  agreed  in  council  to  take  the  first  conve- 
nient opportunity  when  a  large  company  should  be  present, 
to  confer  one  upon  him.  Such  a  transaction  being  with 
tbem  a  matter  of  great  form  and  ceremony,  the  deputies 
of  the  several  nations  had  drawn  lots  for  the  honor  of  per- 
forming it,  and  the  lot  had  fallen  upon  the  Cayugas,  who 
had  designated  their  chief  Gachradodow  for  that  purpose. 
The  name  with  which  the  lord  baron  of  Baltimore  was 
then  honored  was  Tocarry-hogon,  "  denoting  precedency, 
excellency,  or  living  in  the  middle,  or  honorable  place  be- 
tween Assaragoa  and  our  brother  Onas,  by  whom  our 
treaties  may  be  the  better  carried  on."    The  ceremony 


i 


>  Uanoroft's  United  Slate3. 
14 


I 


106 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


Mi' 


.1,      : 


CHAP. was  perforaied  "with  all  the  dignity  of  a  warrior,  the 
*— yw  gesture  of  an  orator,  and  in  a  very  graceful  posture."  ' 
1744.  A.11  the  differences  between  the  Indians  and  their  broth- 
ers Tocarry-hogon  and  Assaragoa  having  thus  been  adjust- 
ed, and  some  explanations  having  been  interchanged  be- 
tween Onas  and  the  chiefs,  respecting  the  murder  by  a 
party  of  Delawares,  of  an  Indian  trader,  named  John 
Armstrong,  and  two  of  his  men,  and  also  in  regard  to  tho 
allege  d  murder  of  several  Indians  on  the  Ohio,  by  white 
men  ;  and  the  lieutenant-governor  having  congratulated 
the  council  upon  the  happy  issue  of  their  deliberations, 
the  next  business  in  hand  was  to  sound  the  chiefs  on  the 
yet  more  important  subject  of  the  French  war.  Rehears- 
ing, as  Governor  Clinton  had  done  at  Albany,  the  story  of 
the  battle  of  Dettingen,  for  the  purpose  of  magnify  ^g  the 
personal  prowess  of  the  king,  and  the  sea-fight  cV  uulo^i, 
and  announcing  the  declarations  of  war  that  had  followed 
those  transactions,  Mr.  Thomas  reminded  t'aeic.  of  their 
obligations  by  treaty  to  assist  their  brethren  of  Pennsylva- 
nia againsi;  the  French,  and  especially  to  prevent  them 
from  passing  through  their  country  to  make  war  upon  the 
English.  .      ,' 

A  conciliatory  speech  was  then  delivered  by  the  Vir- 
ginia commissioners,  in  which  they  were  urged  by  all 
means  to  make  peace  with  the  Catawbas,  in  order  that 
they  might  be  the  better  prepared  to  meet  their  common 
enemies,  the  French  and  Spaniards.  They  closed  by  in- 
viting them  to  send  some  of  their  promising  youths  to 

>  Witham  Marshe, —  who  adds  —  "  This  Qachradodow  is  a  very  celebrated 
warrior,  and  one  of  the  Cayuga  chiefs,  about  forty  years  of  age,  tall, 
Btraight-limbed,  and  a  graceful  person,  but  not  so  fat  as  Ganassateego. 
His  action,  when  he  spoke,  was  certainly  tho  most  graceful,  as  well  as 
bold,  that  any  person  ever  saw ;  without  the  buffoonery  of  the  French,  or 
the  oyer-solemn  deportment  of  the  haughty  Spaniards.  When  he  made  the 
oomplimentary  speech  on  the  occasion  of  giving  the  new  name  to  Lord  Balti- 
more, he  was  complimented  by  the  governor  (Thomas),  who  said,  'that  bo 
would  have  made  a  good  figure  in  the  forum  of  old  Rome.'  And  Mr.  Com- 
missioner Jennings  declared,  '  that  ho  had  never  seen  so  just  an  action  in 
any  of  the  most  celebrated  oruiors  he  had  heard  speak:'  " —  Witham  Marshe. 


i-  h 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


107 


Virginia,  to  be  instructed  in  the  religion,  language  and  chap. 
customs  of  the  white  people,      f?'      >     ■  ^    ,:    v^'.ift  ••  .'.v.  «— v— < 

The  chiefs  required  a  day  for  special  reflection,  before  ^'^**" 
replying  to  these  addresses.  Meantime,  said  Ganassatee- 
go,  archly,  "  You  tell  us  you  beat  the  French.  If  so,  you 
must  have  taken  a  great  deal  of  rum  from  them,  and  can 
the  better  spare  us  some  of  that  liquor  to  make  us  rejoice 
with  you  in  the  victory !" 

On  the  next  day  Canassateego  delivered  a  formal  reply 
to  each  of  their  addresses  in  order.  He  admitted  that 
their  people  were  bound  by  the  faith  of  treaties  to  take 
part  in  the  French  war.  "  We  have  all  the  particulars  of 
these  treaties  in  our  hearts.  They  are  fresh  in  our  mem- 
ory. "We  shall  never  forget  that  we  have  but  one  heart, 
one  head,  one  eye,  one  ear,  and  one  hand.  We  shall  have 
all  youi>  country  under  our  eye,  and  take  all  the  care  we 
can  to  prevent  any  enemy  coming  into  it."  As  an  evi- 
dence at  once  of  their  fidelity  and  precaution,  he  said  they 
had  sent  a  message  to  Younondio,  informing  him  that 
"  there  was  room  enough  at  sea  to  fight,  where  he  might 
do  what  he  pleased ;  but  he  should  not  come  through  our 
country  to  fight  the  English."  The  Six  Nations,  he  added, 
had  great  authority  over  sundry  tribes  of  Indians  in  alli- 
ance with  the  French,  especially  over  "  the  praying  In- 
dians, formerly  part  with  ourselves,  who  stand  in  the  very 
gates  of  the  French ;  and  to  show  our  care,  we  have  en- 
gaged these  very  Indians  for  you.  They  will  not  join  the 
French  against  you."  * 

In  reply,  specially,  to  his  "Brother  Assaragoa,"  Canas- 
sateego said,  referring  to  their  war  against  the  Catawbas, 
" they  are  spiteful  and  ofl'ensive."  Yet,  although  "they 
have  treated  us  contemptuously,"  the  Six  Nations  were 
willing  to  make  peace  witji  them,  if  they  would  come  to 

>  Theao  "praying  Indians,"  were  the  Caughuawagas,  residing  near  Mont- 
real. 


m 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


I.  ■■!. 


CHAP,  the  north  and  treat  for  it.  In  repljr  to  the  invitation  to 
•-v— '  send  some  of  their  children  to  Virginia  to  be  educated,  he 
^^**'  replied :  "  Brother  Assaragoa,  we  must  let  you  know  that 
we  love  our  children  too  well  to  send  them  so  great  a  way. 
The  Indians  are  not  inclined  to  give  their  children  educa- 
tion. We  allow  it  to  be  good.  We  thank  you  for  the 
invitation;  but  our  customs  being  different  from  yours, 
you  must  excuse  us."  ^  When  acknowledging  the  gifts 
they  had  received  from  the  proprietaries,  the  veteran  ora- 
tor was  evidently  affected  in  the  contemplation  of  their  own 
poverty,  and  the  gloomy  anticipations  as  to  the  fate  of  his 
race  which  he  was  too  sagacious  a  man  not  to  foresee : 
"  We  have  provided  a  small  present  for  you ;  but,  alas ! 
we  are  poor,  and  shall  ever  remain  so,  as  long  as  there  are 
so  many  Indian  traders  amongst  us.  Their's  and  the  white 
people's  cattle  eat  up  all  the  grass,  and  make  deer  scarce. 
However,  we  have  provided  a  small  present  for  you." 
Saying  which  he  presented  three  bundles  of  skins,  one  for 
each  of  the  colonies  represented  in  council. 

Toward  the  conclusion  of  the  council,  while  the  several 
parties  to  it  were  engaged  drinking  healths,  and  exchang- 

1  Doctor  Franklin,  in  his  misoollaneous  works,  has  given  a  more  extended 
report  of  Canassateego's  reply  to  the  invitation.  In  addition  to  this  re- 
mark which  I  have  quoted  Arom  Golden's  official  account  of  the  treaty, 
Franklin  reports  Canassateego  to  have  continued  his  speech  thus :  *'  We 
have  had  some  experience  in  this  sending  of  our  children  to  your  schools. 
Several  of  our  young  people  were  formerly  brought  up  at  the  colleges  of 
the  northern  provinces ;  they  were  instructed  in  all  your  sciences ;  but 
when  they  came  back  to  us,  they  were  bad  runners ;  ignorant  of  every 
means  of  living  in  the  woods ;  unable  to  bear  either  cold  or  hunger ;  knew 
neither  how  to  build  a  cabin,  take  a  deer,  or  kill  an  enemy ;  spoke  our 
language  imperfectly ;  were  therefore  neither  fit  for  hunters,  warriors,  or 
counselors ;  they  were  totally  good  for  nothing.  We  are  however,  not  the 
less  obliged  by  your  kind  offer  though  we  decline  accepting  it,  and  to  show 
our  grateful  sense  of  it,  if  the  gentlemen'  of  Virginia  will  send  us  a  dozen 
of  their  sons,  we  will  take  care  of  their  education,  instruct  them  in  all  we 
know  and  make  men  of  them."  This  addition  to  the  sachem's  real  speech, 
was  doubtless  one  of  Franklin's  pleasantries. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSOIT,  BART. 


109 


ing  parting  compliments,  Canassateego  playftiUy  remarked  chap. 
to  Mr.  Thomas,  that  they  had  given  them  French  glasses  wy— ' 
to  drink  their  liquor  in.     "  "We  desire  you  to  give  us  some  ^'^**' 
in  English  glasses."     The  governor  saw  the  point  at  which 
the  shrewd  savage  was  arriving, — the  English  glasses  be- 
ing the  largest, —  and  improved  the  occasion  by  the  ready 
reply :  "  Yes.    "We  are  glad  to  hear  you  have  such  a  dis- 
like to  what  is  French.    They  cheat  you  in  your  glasses 
as  well  as  in  everything  else." 


|Jj  .    I.       !  J      ,<         I, 


i  i     t    -'    ij   •* 


i(J.J^ 


>   I  I 


ill 


'  '    i         1     •    ' 

I)  '  <         V       ^       I    <        I 

I 


U   [■' 


A^M 


'7:f'\;?VM    t-i; A'Ji!.. '*■■'    'I*/''    "'■'   ^VT'j 


V.i  -f. 


^'■m 


CHAPTER    III. 
1744  _  1746. 


■  •■   .        ..<  , 


CHAP. 

in. 


1744. 


The  repose  which  the  colonies  had  so  long  enjoyed 
under  the  administration  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole, —  owing, 
probably,  not  more  to  the  policy  of  that  minister  than  to 
the  pacific  temper  of  the  duke  of  Orleans, —  the  regent  of 
France  during  the  minority  of  Louis  XV,' —  was  of  course 
ended  by  the  receipt  of  the  declaration  of  war  against 
France,  as  stated  in  the  preceding  chapter.  Indeed  th^ 
news  of  this  declaration  had  not  reached  New  England, 
before  l5uquesnel,  the  French  governor  of  Cape  Breton, 
resolving  upon  the  destruction  of  the  English  fishery  on 
the  north-eastern  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  or  Acadia,  as  it 
was  called  by  the  French,  invaded  the  island  Canseau, 
burnt  the  houses,  and  made  prisoners  both  of  the  garrison 
and  the  inhabitants."  Attempts  were  likewise  made  by 
the  French  upon  Placentia,  in  Newfoundland,  and  upon 
Annapolis  in  Nova  Scotia,  in  both  of  which  enterprises 
they  were  unsuccessful, —  owing  to  a  miscarriage  of  the 
plan  in  one  instance,  and  to  the  timely  arrival  of  several 
companies  of  militia  and  rangers  from  Massachusetts,  in 
the  other.' 

The  flames  of  war  having  thus  been  lighted  in  the 
north,  it  required  no  special  gift  of  prophecy  to  perceive 
that  they  would  soon  blaze  along  the  whole  lines  of  the 
English  and  French  colonies,  from  Cape  Breton  to  the 

I  Marehall's  Introduction. 
*  Belknap. 


1-1 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


Ill 


trading  posts  of  Detroit  and  Michilimackinac,  or  Macki-  chap. 

111* 

navv,  according  to  the  orthography  of  later  times.  What  w^-^ 
rendered  the  pending  war  yet  more  frightful  to  the  inhab-  ^'**' 
itants  of  both  of  these  extended  chains  of  rival  colonies, 
was  the  fact  that  a  broad  belt  of  territory  between  them, 
was  peopled  exclusively  by  the  Indians, —  ever  ready  to 
anutf  blood  in  the  breeze, —  and  generally  disposed  to  rush 
forth  upon  the  war-path  at  every  opportunity.  In  fact  the 
Micmacs,  the  Abenakies  and  Etchmims,  or  the  canoe-men 
of  St.  John's  river,  with  perhaps  the  remains  of  other  and 
lesser  tribes  of  the  eastern  Indians,  whose  partialities  in- 
clined ever  toward  the  French,  had  already  taken  part 
with  them  in  their  expedition  against  Annapolis.  These 
Indians,  twenty  years  before,  had  been  declared  by  resolu- 
tion of  the  Massachusetts  government,  to  be  traitors  and 
robbers  ;^  and  a  formal  declaration  of  war  was  now  pro- 
claimed against  them,  by  that  colony,  with  a  bounty  for 
scalps  and  prisoners.^       :;  .     ,      ;  .     /.      ; 

The  declaration  of  hostilities  was  announced  to  the 
general  assembly  of  New  York,  by  Governor  Clinton,  at 
an  adjourned  session  opening  on  the  eighteenth  of  July, 
as  a  measure  that  had  become  indispensable  to  the  honor 
and  dignity  of  the  crown,  not  only  because  of  the  attack 
upon  the  Mediterranean  fleet,  but  above  all  because  of  the 
movements  of  France  in  behalf  of  the  pretender.  Immedi- 
ate and  strong  measures  were  urged  for  the  security  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  for  the  general  defence  of  the  colony, 
especially  of  the  frontiers.  Measures,  it  was  intimated,  had 
already  been  taken  for  strengthening  the  posts  of  Oswego 
and  Saratoga.  In  speaking  of  his  interview  with  the  In- 
dians at  Albany,  it  was  stated  that  commissioners  from 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  were  also  present,  the  ob- 
ject of  whose  visit  was  to  aid  in  cultivating  a  more  firm 


1  Bancroft. 
'Belknap. 


■t-'-I 


112 


LIFE  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  and  extensive  alliance  with  that  people.  Their  mission 
w^—/  was  a  source  of  gratification  to  all  parties.  They  wero 
^^*^'  moreover  clothed  with  full  powers  to  enter  into  a  strict 
union  with  New  York  and  the  other  English  colonies,  for 
the  purpose  of  devising  and  executing  proper  measures 
for  the  prosecution  of  the  war  oflfensively  and  defensively. 
Power  was  asked  to  euabje  the  governor  to  appoint  like 
commissioners  to  confer  with  them.  The  fitting  out  of 
privateers  for  the  protection  of  the  coast  was  also  recom- 
mended,—  not  forgetting  the  supplies  and  the  adoption  of 
all  such  measures  as  would  enable  his  excellency  to  sup- 
port the  power  and  dignity  of  the  government,  and  pursue 
every  method  for  its  safety.  ^., : 

The  speech  was  followed,  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  July, 
with  a  special  message  setting  forth  the  measures  thatha^ 
been  taken  by  the  executive  for  the  security  both  of  the 
city  and  the  frontiers;  and  making  requisitions  for  all 
such  farther  measures  as  were  judged  essential  to  the  pub- 
lic defence.  For  the  protection  of  Albany  and  the  scat- 
tered settlements  north  of  it,  the  governor  strongly  urged 
the  erection  of  a  strong  fort  in  the  neighborhood  of  Crowu 
Point.  As  such  a  work  would  be  calculated  as  well  to 
guaid  the  frontiers  of  the  New  England  colonies  as  those 
of  New  York,  it  was  suggested  that  it  should  be  con- 
structed at  the  joint  expense  of  all.  Some  farther  mea- 
sures of  defence  had  been  adopted  at  Oswego ;  and  it  was 
recommended  with  great  propriety  that  a  strong  fort 
should  be  built  at  Tierondequot,  or  at  some  other  suitable 
point  in  the  Seneca  country, —  as  well  for  the  defence  of 
that  country  against  invasion,  as  by  means  of  a  strong 
garrison,  to  check  the  wavering  propensities  of  the  Seue- 
cas, —  the  strongest  of  the  Confederates,  and  the  most 
easily  tampered  with  by  the  French.  Yet  another  mea- 
sage  of  a  similar  character,  was  sent  down  to  the  a8.iembly 
on  the  thirty-first  of  July,  recommending  the  erection  of 


LIFB  07  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


118 


various  works  of  defence  for  the  harbor  of  New  York ;  chap. 

in* 

announcing  the  organization  of  a  corps  of  rangers  .     Ji  w^— / 
the  militia  of  Albany,  to  include  a  number  of  Indians,  ^ 
whose  business  it  should  be  to  traverse  the  country  north 
to  Canada,  as  perpetual  scouts.    The  sending  of  troops  to 
be  stationed  at  Albany,  was  also  recommended. 

The  precipitate  and  cowardly  retreat  of  the  English 
traders  from  Oswego,  immediately  on  hearing  of  the  de- 
claration of  war,  elicited  still  another  executive  communi- 
cation on  the  twentieth  of  August.  This  desertion  of  the 
trading  houses  had  created  a  very  unfavorable  impression 
upon  the  minds  of  the  Indians,  particularly  the  remote 
nations,  who,  on  coming  thither  to  trade,  had  found  the 
place  really  deserted,  and  the  goods  mostly  brought  away. 
The  assembly  were  therefore  earnestly  urged  to  adopt  the 
necessary  measures  for  maintaining  that  important  post, 
as  a  commanding  mart  for  trade  with  the  Indians,  upon  a 
more  ample  and  efficient  basis  than  had  existed  before. 
Disadvantages,  other  than  such  as  might  arise  from  a  loss 
of  trade,  were  apprehended  by  the  governor.  The  Indians, 
inspired  with  contempt  for  the  courage  of  men  frightened, 
as  it  were,  by  a  shadow,  with  the  fall  of  Oswego,  would 
be  very  likely  to  desert  the  English  interests  for  the 
French. 

The  spirit  of  the  general  assembly  was  good.  Resolu- 
tions were  promptly  passed  by  the  house,  nemine  contradi- 
cente,  pledging  the  ways  and  means  for  putting  the  colony 
in  a  suitable  posture  of  defence  by  sea  and  land.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  demonstration  made  in  Scotland  "  in  favor 
of  a  Popish  pretender,"  a  resolution  was  adopted  requir- 
ing all  persons  in  the  colony  to  take  the  oaths  prescribed 
by  act  of  parliament  for  the  security  of  the  government 
and  the  Protestant  religion.  Bills  making  liberal  appro- 
priations,—  liberal  considering  the  means  of  the  colony, — 
for  the  public  exigencies  were  initiated  and  in  progress, 
when  on  the  fourth  of  September,  another  message  was 

15 


1    -^1 


114 


LIFB   OF  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


1' 

1; 

1:. 

u 


CHAP,  received  from  the  governor,  calculated  yet  more  rapidly 
wv — 'to  accelerate  their  action.  It  covered  a  conimunicatiou 
'  from  the  commisgioners  of  Indian  aft'airs  of  an  alarming 
character.  Information  had  heen  received  by  a  secret 
messenger  from  Canada,  that,  contrary  to  the  declaratiotin 
of  Canassateego,  at  Lancaster,  as  to  the  temper  and  de- 
signs of  the  Cau|,;hnawagas,  they,  with  the  other  Canadian 
Indians,  had  taken  up  the  hatchet  against  the  English,  and 
the  fall  of  Oswego  was  considered  inevitable,  unless  its 
feeble  garrison  could  be  reinforced.*  Information  respect- 
ing the  designs  of  the  French  upon  that  post,  had  also 
been  received  by  the  Six  Nations. 

This  communication  was  considered  so  important  that 
at  the  instance  of  Doctor  Colden  and  Mr.  Murray,  of  the 
council,  a  conference  was  held  between  the  two  houses  ic 
order  to  insure  prompt  and  efficient  action  for  the  public 
welfkre.  Chief  Justice  De  Lancey  opened  the  delibera- 
tions of  the  conference,  and  after  an  interchange  of  opin- 
ions it  was  determined  to  apply  to  the  governor  for  the 
addition  of  fifty  men  to  the  i^arrison  of  Oswego,  and  also 
for  orders  to  the  militia  of  AI.jany  to  hold  themselves  in 
instant  readiness  to  march  to  the  defence  of  that  post  in 
the  event  of  an  invasion.  A  joint  address  in  accordance 
with  these  recommendations  was  made  to  the  governor, 
in  which  the  assembly  pledged  itself  "  cheerfully  to  con- 
tribute everything  in  its  power  for  the  defence  and  safety 

1  The  oommiBsioners  at  that  time,  signing  this  communication,  were 
Messrs.  Myndert  Schuyler,  Abraham  Cuyler,  Cornelius  Cuyler,  Dirck  Ten 
Broeck,  Nicholas  Bleecker,  Johannis  Lansing,  and  John  Depeyster.  Among 
other  matters  detailed  in  the  letter,  was  an  account  of  their  proceedings 
under  an  order  from  the  governor  to  send  Captain  Walter  Butler,  with  hia 
son  as  an  interpreter,  upon  a  confidential  errand  to  Oswego.  The  governor 
had  enjoined  perfect  secrecy  as  to  this  mission ;  but  the  commissioners 
state  that  the  fact  was  known  in  Albany  before  they  had  opened  his  excel- 
lency's dispatches.  An  admirable  commentary  this,  upon  the  manner  in 
which  secrets  are  usually  kept,  in  all  times,  in  peace  as  in  war. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


Ht 


1744. 


of  the  colony,    and    for    repelling  any  attempt  of  the  ciup. 
enemy."  -    ' 'i'  '  • 

Difficulties  were  experienced  in  regard  to  the  ways  and 
meanB,  arising  chiefly  from  the  reluctance  of  the  popular 
hranch,  no  uncommon  thing  in  representative  govern- 
ments, to  meet  the  question  of  direct  taxation.  Yet  tho 
liberality  of  their  appropriations  attested  the  general  pa^ 
triotism  of  the  members.  Special  allowances  were  voted 
for  the  defences  of  Albany  and  Schenectady,  and  the 
round  sum  of  three  thousand  two  hundred  pounds  was 
granted  in  addition  for  the  defence  of  the  colony  at  large. 
Provision  was  like\vi8e  made  for  the  support  of  the  pris- 
oners who  had  been  brought  into  New  York,  pursuant  to 
a  suggestion  of  the  governor, —  who  was  commended  in 
an  address  for  his  clemency,  and  requested  to  relieve  the 
colony  from  the  presence  of  those  prisoners,  and  others 
that  might  be  brought  in,  with  all  convenient  dispatch. 

Thus  far  in  the  session,  no  action  had  taken  place  in  the 
house  in  regard  to  the  propositions  from  the  'New  England 
colonies  for  eft'ecting  a  general  alliance  among  the  Indians 
friendly  to  the  English,  and  also  for  a  closer  bond  of  union 
between  the  colonies,  in  order  to  the  more  efficient  con-' 
duct  of  the  war.  Upon  these  points  Governor  Shirley  was 
particularly  anxious ;  and  on  the  eighteenth  of  September 
Mr.  Clinton  sent  a  message  to  the  assembly,  covering 
an  urgent  letter  from  Shirley,  and  expressing  surprise 
that  the  assembly  had  done  nothing  hitherto  to  enable 
him  to  appoint  commissioners  to  meet  those  in  attend- 
ance from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  and  confer 
together  in  a  matter  that  must  redound  so  much  to  the 
benefit  of  the  colony.  Instead,  however,  of  complying 
with  this  request,  the  house  sent  up  to  the  governor  an 
address,  reminding  his  excellency  of  the  liberality  of  their 
appropriations, —  ample,  as  they  conceived,  for  the  public 
exigencies, —  but  expressing  a  strong  reluctance  to  any 
action  upon  the  subject  of  the  proposed  plan  of  union. 


^' 


fi\ 


■^mtrt^'^ . 


116 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOnNSOK,   BART. 


mm 


m. 


1744. 


CRAP.  Thoy  thought  thoy  ought  not  to  enter  upon  any  schemo 
the  details  of  wliich  Imd  not  been  iiupurted  to  tliem  that 
thoy  might  have  an  opportunity  of  oxercifling  their  own 
judgments  upon  it.  This  address  waa  comnmuieated  by 
the  governor  to  his  council  on  the  twonty-tirst  of  Hepteni- 
ber,  and  a  protracted  conference  between  the  two  branches 
ensued ;  including  aim,  another  point  of  diii'orence,  viz : 
a  refusal  by  the  house,  of  an  appropriation  to  erect  u  foit 
at  the  carrying-place  between  the  Hudson  river  and  Crown 
Point.  The  managers  on  the  part  of  the  council,  De  Lan- 
cey  and  Murray,  presented  urgent  reasons  in  favor  of  ap- 
pointing commissioners  to  meet  those  from  the  other  colo- 
nies, for  the  organization  of  a  league,  or  an  alliance, 
against  the  French ;  as,  for  instance,  the  advantages  of 
united  action, —  the  increase  of  strength, —  the  conlidencic 
with  which  it  would  inspire  the  friendly  Indians, —  tlie 
discouragements  which  such  a  union  would  throw  in  the 
way  of  the  French.  The  importance,  likewise,  of  erecting 
the  proposed  military  work  at  the  carrying-place,  was  ably 
urged.*  But  without  success.  No  appropriation  was 
made  either  for  the  Indian  alliance,  or  for  the  commis- 
sioners, or  for  the  erection  of  the  fortress ;  and  the  assem- 
bly adjourned,  not  meeting  again  until  March,  1746. 

The  autumn  and  winter  were  passed  with  uncertainty 
as  to  the  temper  and  intentions  of  the  Six  Nations,  and 
with  considerable  anxiety.  At  the  close  of  September, 
dispatches  were  received  from  the  Indian  commissioners, 
expressing  lively  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  Oswego.  The 
efibrts  of  the  commissioners  to  persuade  the  chiefs  of  the 
Six  Nations  to  keep  a  number  of  their  warriors  from  each 
of  their  tribes  at  Oswego  for  its  defence,  had  been  ineffect- 
ual. The  French  were  active  in  their  appliances  to  steal 
the  hearts  of  that  fickle  people  from  the  English,  and  had 
at  that  time  no  fewer  than  twelve  emissaries  among  the 


1  JowmU  of  the  Lt.guilativr  Council. 


LIFB  OF  8IR  WILLIAM  JOBNBOK,   DART. 


117 


1744. 


Scnocas.  I  pon  the  receipt  of  thcBO  alarming  reportH,  Mr.  chap. 
Bleocker,  the  intorprotor,  was  disputchod  into  the  Hent»ca> 
country,  with  a  message  that  to  allow  those  eniissarios  to 
remain  among  them  was  breaking  their  covenant  chain. 
The  intf  preter,  however,  returned  in  December  with 
more  favorable  news.  lie  had  found  but  two  Frenchmen, 
Hiuiths,  among  the  Sonocas,  and  there  were  English  smiths 
luriong  them  without  molestation.  It  was  not  known  to 
the  Sonecas  that  the  French  Indianp  had  actually  taken 
ii{)  the  hatchet ;  yet  they  were  told  that  the  French  Imd 
entertained  them  at  a  war-feast,  and  joined  with  them  in 
their  dances, —  carrying  aloft  the  heads  of  tlie  beasts  they 
had  slain,  and  declaring  that  thus  would  they  dance  with 
the  heads  of  the  English.*  Other  reports,  received  by  the 
governor  and  council  from  time  to  time  during  the  winter, 
by  correspondence  and  otherwise,  tended  to  keep  the  eye 
of  suspicion  from  slumber,  and  occasionally  to  quicken 
the  public  pulse.  A  deserter  from  the  French  post  at 
Niagara,  arrived  in  New  York  and  was  examined  before 
the  council  on  the  twelfth  of  February,  who  gave  a  particu- 1745, 
lar  description  of  the  strength  and  armament  of  that  fort- 
ress. He  had  traversed  Canada,  from  Quebec^  stopping 
at  Three  Rivers,  and  Cadaracqui,  before  his  desertion. 
There  were  one  hundred  men  at  Niagara,  with  four  pieces 
of  cannon.  Cadaracqui  was  a  stone  fortress,  tht,  walls 
twelve  feet  high,  with  four  bastions,  and  garrisoned  by 
two  hundred  men.  Lieutenant  Butler,  at  Oswego,  wrote 
that  a  scout  returned  from  Canada,  reported  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  force  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  with  a  body  of  In- 
dians, destined  against  that  post  in  the  spring.  The 
French,  moreover,  were  expecting  large  supplies  from 
France.' 
From  the  fickle  disposition  of  the  Indians,  great  caution 


'  Council  Miautea. 
"^  Idem. 


■  ■■  • 


118 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART« 


CHAP,  was  observed  in  regard  to  their  intercourse  with  white 


'  people,  whose  nation,  character,  and  designs,  were  known 
■  and  understood.  The  laws  of  the  colony  forbade  the  resi- 
dence of  white  men  among  the  Indians,  unless  by  ex- 
press permission.  Under  these  laws,  and  the  watchful 
policy  observed,  two  men,  David  Seisberger,  and  Christiau 
Frederick  Post,  having  been  found  residing  at  the  Canajo- 
harie  castle,*  without  a  license,  were  arrested  in  mid-w  in- 
ter and  dragged  to  New  York.  On  their  examination 
before  the  council,  however,  they  were  found  to  bo  two 
worthy  Germans,  members  of  the  Moravian  congregation 
at  the  forks  of  the  Delaware,  who  had  been  sent  thither 
to  learn  the  Mohawk  language  for  missionary  purposes. 
They  were  discharged  as  a  matter  of  course.''  Post  had 
an  Indian  wife  and  family ;  and  it  will  be  seen  farther  o^i 
that  he  afterward  performed  valuable  services  among  the 
Indians  on  the  Ohio. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  alarms  to  which  such  a  fron- 
tier as  that  of  New  York  and  New  England,  in  such  a 
contest,  was  liable,  the  winter  passed  away  without  active 
hostilities  between  the  French  and  the  English, —  the  pale 
faces,  or  the  red.  Yet  this  inactivity  of  matter  did  not 
extend  to  mind ;  and  it  was  during  this  season  of  com- 
parative repose,  that  William  Shirley,  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, suggested  the  plan  for  striking  a  blow  at  the 
power  of  France  in  America,  which  was  as  bold  in  its  con- 
ception, as  in  its  execution  it  was  brilliant. 

>  Canajoharie,  or,  according  to  the  orthography  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Kiik- 
land,  who  paHsed  his  life  as  a  missionary  among  the  Six  Nations,  Ca-na-jo- 
ha-roo,  the  name  of  a  small  river  flowing  into  the  Mohawk,  near  the  uioiilh 
of  which  stood  one  of  the  Mohawk  castles.  The  meaning  of  the  word,  lit- 
erally, is,  '•  Tke-pot-that-toashes-itself,"  applied  to  a  large  and  beautiful  bii- 
^  sin,  worn  in  the  rock  which  forms  the  bed  of  the  stream  two  miles  back 
from  the  Mohawk,  by  the  whirling  action  of  the  water  falling  from  one  of 
the  cascades  abounding  upon  this  stream.  This  basin  is  perhaps  twenty 
feet  in  diameter ;  but  the  water  has  been  directed  to  a  Jiill-wheel. 
,*  Council  Minutes. 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


119 


The  harbor  of  Louisburg,  on  the  south-eastern  side  of  chap. 
the  island  of  Cape  Breton,  was  considered  the  key  to  the  w^l/ 
American  possessions  of  the  French.  By  the  treaty  of  ^7^^- 
TJtrecht,  Newfoundland  and  Novia  Scotia,  including  the 
island  of  Canseau,  had  fallen  to  the  crown  of  Great  Bri- 
tain, while  by  the  same  instrument  Cape  Breton,  situated 
between  them  in  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence, 
had  been  ceded  to  the  French.  Affording  convenient  har- 
bors for  the  reception  and  security  of  shi';^H  of  every  bur- 
den —  either  for  men  of  war,  or  ships  engaged  in  com- 
merce between  the  parent  country  and  her  Canadian  pos- 
sessions, or  those  of  the  West  Indies, —  this  island  had 
become  of  vast  importance  to  France,  as  a  security  to  her 
own  navigation  and  fisheries,  and  also  as  affording  in  time 
of  war,  great  facilities  for  interrupting  the  fisheries  and 
navigation  of  England  and  her  colonies.*  It  was  there- 
fore determined  to  build  a  fortified  town  upon  this  island, 
for  the  site  of  which  the  most  commodious  bay  upon  the 
south-eastern  side  was  chosen.  It  had  formerly  been  called 
"English  harbor,"  but  the  name  was  changed  to  Louis- 
burg. Twenty-five  years  of  labor,  and  thirty  millions  of 
livres,  had  been  expended  upon  the  fortifications,  which 
were  now  deemed  almost  impregnable.  Indeed  it  was 
called  the  Dunkirk  of  America.*  "  Upon  a  neck  of  land 
on  the  south  side  of  the  harbor  was  built  the  town,  two 
miles  and  a  quarter  in  circumference ;  fortified  in  every 
accessible  part  with  a  rampart  of  stone,  from  thirty  to 
thirty-six  feet  high,  and  a  ditch  eight  feet  wide.  A  space 
about  two  hundred  yards  was  left  without  a  rampart,  on 
the  side  next  to  the  sea,  inclosed  by  a  simple  dyke  and  a 
line  of  pickets.  There  were  six  bastions  and  three  bat- 
teries, containing  embrasures  for  one  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  cannon,  of  which  sixty-five  only  were  mounted,  and 


^  Belknap. 

'  Marshall's  Colonial  Histor'". 


120 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


OHAP'  sixteen  mortars. 


1746. 


On  an  island  at  the  entrance  of  the  har- 
'  bor,  was  planted  a  battery  of  thirty  cannon,  being  twenty- 
eight  pounders ;  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  harbor,  directly 
opposite  to  the  entrance,  was  the  grand  or  royal  batteiy 
of  twenty-eight  cannon, —  forty-two  pounders, —  and  two 
eighteen  pounders.  On  a  high  cliff  opposite  to  the  island 
battery,  stood  a  light-house ;  and  within  the  harbor,  at  the 
north-east  part,  was  a  magazine  of  naval  stores.  The 
town  was  regularly  laid  out  in  squares,  with  broad  streets, 
built  up  with  houses,  mostly  of  wood,  but  some  of  stone. 
On  the  west  side,  near  the  rampart,  was  a  spacious  citadel, 
and  a  large  parade ;  on  one  side  of  which  were  the  gover- 
nor's apartments.  Under  the  ramparts  were  casemates  to 
receive  the  women  and  children  during  a  siege.  The  en- 
trance to  the  town,  on  the  land  side,  was  over  a  draw- 
bridge, near  to  which  was  a  circular  battery,  mounting  six- 
teen twenty-four  pounders ;  and  from  its  position,  its  re- 
duction was  an  object  as  desirable  to  the  English  as  that 
of  Carthage  was  to  the  Romans."* 

From  the  prisoners  taken  at  Canseau  by  the  French, 
and  sent  into  Boston  the  preceding  year,  and  from  other 
sources.  Governor  Shirley  had  obtained  such  information 
respecting  the  situation  and  condition  of  these  formidable 
works,  as  induced  him  to  form  the  project  of  a  sudden 
invasion,  with  a  view  of  carrying  them  either  by  surprise 
or  by  storm.  Shirley  had  indeed  conceived  this  bold  and 
adventurous  enterprise  in  the  autumn  of  1744,  and  written 
to  the  British  ministry  upon  the  subject, —  dispatching  his 
letter  by  the  hand  of  an  intelligent  officer,  who  had  been 
captured  at  Canseau,  and  whose  knowledge  of  the  locali- 
ties and  strength  of  Louisburg,  he  doubted  not  would  be 
available  to  the  government.  The  enterprise  was  approved 
by  the  ministry,  and  orders  were  transmitted  to  Commo- 
dore Warren,  then  commanding  a  squadron  in  the  West 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


121 


Indies,  in  January,  to  proceed  northward  in  tlie  spring  chap. 
and  co-operate  with  the  movements  of  Shirley.  Of  these  •— ^— ' 
instructions  the  latter  was  apprised ;  but  impatient  of 
delay  he  proceeded  in  his  preparations  for  the  expedition 
in  anticipation  both  of  the  decision  of  the  government, 
und  the  movements  of  Warren.  These  preparations  were 
in  truth  accelerated  by  the  ardent  temperament  of  Colonel 
William  Vaughan,  of  New  Hampshire,  a  son  of  the  lieu- 
tenant-governor of  that  state,  and  a  man  of  a  high  and 
daring  spirit,  who,  from  the  fishermen  in  his  employ,  had 
become  well  acquainted  with  the  harbor  and  defences  of 
the  place  it  was  intended  to  storm.  Being  in  confidential 
correspondence  with  Governor  Wentworth  upon  the  sub- 
ject, Shirley's  project  was  communicated  to  Vaughan, 
who  embraced  it  with  all  the  ardor  which  so  noble  an  ex- 
ploit would  be  likely  to  inspire  a  man  of  his  bravery  and 
enthusiasm.  N^othing,  with  him,  w  :s  impracticable  which 
he  had  a  mind  to  accomplish ;  and  so  strong  were  his  con- 
victions of  the  practicability  of  the  conquest,  that  he 
would  fain  have  undertaken  it  in  mid-winter,  believing 
that  the  walls  might  be  scaled  by  the  aid  of  the  diifts  of 
snow.^ 

Thus  far  the  project  had  been  kept  a  profound  secret  by 
Shirley  himself,  and  the  very  few  trust-worthy  men  to 
whom  it  had  been  confided.  But  early  in  January  it  be- 
came necessary  for  the  governor  to  communicate  his 
design  to  the  general  court,  at  whose  hands  he  must  ask 
for  the  means  of  its  execution.  Secrecy  was  yet  desirable, 
to  which  end  an  oath  of  confidence  was  administered  to 
the  members  before  the  plan  was  laid  before  them.  Start- 
led at  the  magnitude  of  the  project,  as  well  as  at  its  bold- 
ness, the  proposition  was  at  first  rejected;  but  subse- 

1  It  has  been  suggested,  says  Belknap,  that  the  plan  of  this  enterprise 
was  first  suggested  by  Vaughan.     Sevei-al  other  persons  have  claimed  the 
like  credit.     I  have  discovered  no  good  reason,  however,  for  depriving 
Shirley  of  the  honor  of  its  ootioeption. 
IG 


i 


,11 

I 


,1  i' 


122 


LIFE   OP   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  quently,  advantage  being  taken  of  tlie  absence  of  several 
^— V--  members,  the  question  was  reconsidered,  and  the  under- 
talcing  was  sanctioned  by  a  majority  of  a  single  voice. 
Yet,  nothing  daunted,  the  governor  proceeded  to  arrange 
his  measures  with  characteristic  energy.  Circular  letters 
were  addressed  to  the  governors  of  all  the  colonies  south 
to  Pennsylvania  inclusive,  invoking  their  assistance  in  the 
enterprise,  and  asking  for  the  imposition  of  m  embargo 
upon  their  ports.  Armed  with  one  of  these  missives, 
Vaughan,  who  had  been  awaiting  the  authorization  of  the 
expedition  in  Boston,  rode  back  express  to  N'ew  Hamp- 
shire, the  legislature  of  which  was  theu  in  session.  Went- 
worth,  the  governor,  ivas  already  enlisted  in  the  scheme ; 
and  the  legislature,  catching  fire  from  the  enthusiasm  of 
Vaughan,  entered  heartily  into  the  project,  and  made  the 
necessary  grants  for  the  quota  of  men  and  supplies  ex- 
pected from  that  colony.  Equal  readiness  to  forward  the 
enterprise  was  now  manifested  >  y  the  general  court  of 
Massachusetts ;  and  Shirley  assumed  the  responsibility,  iu 
the  face  of  his  instructions  from  the  crown,  of  sanctioning 
an  extraordinary  emission  of  bills  of  credit  to  meet  the 
heavy  expenditures  to  be  incurred, —  advising  Wentworth 
to  the  same  course,'  Until  the  issuing  of  the  circulars, 
moreover,  the  secret  had  been  well  kept ;  nor,  probably, 
would  the  disclosure  then  have  been  made, —  at  least  not 
so  soon, —  had  it  not  been  for  the  unguarded  fervor  of  one 
of  the  praying  members  of  the  general  court,  who,  at  the 
family  altar,  while  earnestly  invoking  the  favor  of  Heaven 
upon  the  enterprise,  forgot  that  he  was  also  speaking  to 
human  auditors. 

The  colonies  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  entered 
into  the  design  in  the  finest  spirit.  New  York  would  have 
done  likewise,  had  the  wishes  of  Governor  Clinton  been 

I  In  Massachusetts  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  bills  wer«  emitted  for  this  ex- 
igency, and  in  New  Hampshire  thirteen  thousand. 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    BART. 


12S 


seconded  by  the  general  assembly.  That  body  met  by  chap 
adjournment  on  the  twelfth  of  March,  and  the  session  was  >-v— ' 
opened  by  a  speech  of  a  length  and  earnestness  propor-  ^^*°' 
tioned  to  the  importance  of  the  crisis.  It  commenced  by 
aiuiouncing  to  the  assembly  the  projected  enterprise  of 
Massachusetts  and  her  sister  colonies  of  New  England 
against  Louisburg,  in  retaliation,  as  it  was  alleged,  for 
the  attacks  of  the  French  during  the  preceding  year  upon 
Annapolis-Royal.  Governor  Shirley  had  written  him  a 
pressing  appeal  for  co-operation  in  this  enterprise;  and 
concurring  entirely  in  his  views  as  to  its  importance,  th© 
governor  informed  the  assembly  that  without  awaiting 
their  neeting,  he  had  already  acted  in  relation  thereto,  to 
the  extent  of  his  power  and  means.  He  had  sent  ten 
pieces  of  ordnance  to  Boston,  with  their  necessary  warlike' 
implements ;  and  he  called  upon  the  assembly  to  respond 
to  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Shirley,  by  contributing  its  full 
proportion  to  the  expedition,  the  success  of  which  would  be 
of  infinite  advantage  to  the  province.  Aside  from  this 
great  undertaking,  farther  measures  for  the  defence  of  the 
colony  of  New  York  itself  were  strenuously  urged.  There 
was  an  absolute  necessity  for  the  erection  of  two  addi> 
tional  forts  in  the  Indian  country,  not  ordy  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  frontiers,  but  to  give  the  Indians  confidence, 
uud  atibrd  them  places  of  refuge  in  hours  of  disaster. 
Already,  for  want  of  these,  they  were  evidently  becoming 
cool  and  indift'erent  toward  the  English.  He  renewed  the 
recommendation  for  an  appropriation  that  would  enable 
him  to  appoint  commissioners  to  meet  those  of  the  other 
colonies  which  were  disposed  to  form  a  bond  of  union  for 
the  common  defence.  The  advantages  to  flow  from  such 
a  league,  were  forcibly  set  forth,  to  which  was  added  an 
expression  of  regret  at  the  course  the  assembly  had  adopt- 
ed in  relation  to  the  proposition  at  the  preceding  session. 
It  was  indeed  the  expressed  desire  of  his  majesty,  that  in 
all  important  exigencies,  the  colonies  should  unite  their 


124 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


CHAP,  councils,  and  their  forces,  for  the  common  security.     Tlic 
*-v—'  speech,  which  was  the  longest  thus  far  to  bo  found  in  the 
'  colonial  journals,  closed  with  an  exhortation  to  unanimity 
and  dispatch.     ^      ••.::.  »,  . 

The  council  promptly  responded  to  the  speech  by  an 
address,  moved  by  Chief  Justice  De  Lancey.  It  was  an 
echo  throughout,  but  especially  in  regard  to  the  Louia- 
burg  expedition.  High  praise  was  aw^arded  to  Massa- 
chusetts for  the  energy  she  was  exerting  in  this  matter, 
and  the  council  closed  by  pledging  the  co-operation  of 
New  York.'  But  this  pledge  was  not  sustained  by  the 
house.  There  were  several  points  of  the  speech  which 
that  body  received  unkindly  —  among  which  were  the  re- 
bukes which  the  governor  had  administered  to  it  for  neg- 
lecting his  former  recommendations, —  particularly  in 
regard  to  the  proposed  commissioners  of  union,  and  the 
appointment  of  a  Solicitor  for  the  colony  to  attend  to  their 
interests  in  the  parent  country.  Consciousness  of  then* 
neglect  of  the  public  interests  in  those  respects  then, 
neither  improved  the  temper  of  the  members,  nor  prompt- 
ed them  to  a  performance  of  the  obligations  of  patriotism 
now.  Toward  the  governor  they  were  not  only  guilty  of 
the  discourtesy  of  returning  him  no  address  in  answer  to 
his  speech,  but  they  manife,?ted  no  disposition  to  comply 
with  either  of  his  present  reommendations.  A  special 
message,  on  the  fourteenth  of  April,  announcing  the  arrival 
of  a  large  French  force  in  Martinique,  the  destination  of 
which  it  was  apprehended  might  be  against  New  York, 
did  indeed  arouse  the  assembly  for  a  moment  to  the  im- 
portance of  providing  some  farther  defences  for  the  har- 
bor, and  a  conference  with  the  council  upon  the  subject 
was  asked  and  granted.  Still,  although  a  show  of  lil)er- 
ality  was  exhibited  in  the  appropriations  proposed  for  this 
branch  of  the  public  service,  the  house  sought  to  interfere 


-Journals  of  the  Legislative  Council. 


LIFE   OP  SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


125 


with  what  was  claimed  as  a  prerogative  of  the  executive,  chap. 
by  specifications  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  money  v-^—' 
should  be  expended,  and  designations  of  the  points  to  be  ^^ 
fortified — an  interference,  certainly,  with  the  appropriate 
duties  of  the  commander-in-chief. 

There  was  yet  another  cause  of  irritation  on  the  part  of 
the  house,  so  early  as  the  year  1709,  the  general  assembly 
had  found  it  necessary,  in  providing  ways  and  means  for 
the  public  service, —  especially  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
several  wars  in  which  the  colony  had  been  involved  hy 
the  parent  goveri.ment, — 'to  issue  a  paper  currency  called 
bills  of  credit.  The  operation  had  been  repeated  from 
time  to  time,  in  emergent  cases, — sometimes  with  the 
approbation  of  the  crown,  and  sometimes  not, —  until 
these  paper  issues  had  become  a  part  of  the  policy  of  the 
colony.  Others  of  the  colonies,  laboring  under  the  same 
necessities,  had  resorted  to  the  same  measures  of  finance ; 
but  to  which  the  crown,  jealous  of  its  prerogative  in  all 
matters  of  currency,  had  uniformly  been  opposed.  For 
many  years,  therefore,  antecedent  to  this  period,  the  royal 
governors  had  arrived  in  the  colony  clothed  with  instruc- 
tions against  allowing  farther  emissions  of  bills  of  credit ; — 
instructions,  however,  which  the  stern  law  of  necessity 
had  seldom  allowed  them  to  enforce.  Still  the  crown, 
keenly  alive  to  every  step  of  independent  action  on  the 
part  of  the  colonies,  was  persisting  in  its  war  against  a 
colonial  currency  even  of  paper;  and  a  bill  was  now  before 
parliament  upon  the  subject,  which  gave  great  alarm  to  the 
people.  Professedly,  its  design  was  merely  for  preventing 
these  bills  of  credit  from  being  made  a  legal  tender ;  but 
it  was  discovered  that  the  bill  was  to  have  a  far  more 
extensive  operation, — "obliging  and  enjoining  the  legisla- 
tures of  every  colony  to  pay  strict  obedience  to  all  such 
orders  and  instructions  as  might  from  time  to  time  be 
transmitted  to  them,  or  any  of  them,  by  his  majesty  or 
his  successors,  or  by  or  under  his  or  their  authority/' 


mM 


'  it 

m 


126 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1  I 


CHAP.  Such  an  act,  it  was  justly  held,  "would  establish  ati  ahso- 
'-v-'  lute  power  in  the  crown,  in  all  the  British  plantations, 
^^^^"  that  would  be  inconsistent  with  the  liberties  and  privi- 
leges inherent  in  an  English  man,  whiJe  ho  is  in  a  Jiritinh 
dominion." ' 

Vexed  with  themselves,  and  with  the  governor,  for  rea- 
sons already  mentioned,  and  still  more  for  their  own  re- 
missness in  not  having  made  seasonable  provision  for  a 
resident  agent  in  London  to  watch  over  the  interests  of 
the  colony,  and  who  might  perhaps  successfully  oppose 
this  bill, — the  house  evinced  a  disposition,  without  any 
sufficient  reason,  as  it  seems  to  me,  to  thwart  the  governor 
upon  every  point.  In  addition  to  the  discourtesies  here- 
tofore mentioned,  in  regard  to  the  erection  of  fortifica- 
tions, "it  ordered  the  city  members  to  inquire  for  and 
consult  some  engineer ;  intimated  a  design  to  lessen  the 
garrison  at  Oswego ;  declined  the  project  of  a  guard-ship ; 
rejected  the  renewed  recommendation  for  appointing  joint 
commissioners  to  treat  with  the  Indians  for  mutual  de- 
fence ;  voted  but  three  thousand  pounds  toward  the  Louis- 
burg  expedition ;  and  declined  the  provision  of  presents 
for  the  Indiana."'  ,  ^.   .,  ,, 

It  was  very  evident  that  no  good  could  result  from  the 
action  of  an  assembly  between  which,  and  the  governor 
such  an  unpleasant  state  of  feeling  existed.  The  session 
had  been  extended  already  to  more  than  two  months,  and 
nothing  had  been  done  for  the  public  defence.  Even  the 
bill  making  the  paltry  appropriation  of  three  thousand 
pounds  toward  the  New  England  expedition,  had  not 
passed  the  council.  Indeed  only  four  bills,  and  those  of 
no  great  importance,  were  awaiting  the  approval  of  the 


^  8ee  report  of  a,  oommitteo  of  ths  housd  of  assembly,  colonial  journals, 
March  16,  1746.    ,  .  . 

*  Smith's  Hittory  of  Nero  York,  vol.  ii,  pp.  90,  91.  * 


LIFE   OP  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


127 


1746. 


governor.^  In  this  situation  of  affairs,  the  governor,  in  no  chap. 
very  pleasant  humor,  on  the  fourteenth  of  May  required  < 
the  assemhly  to  meet  hi;^  in  the  council  chamber,  in  order 
to  its  dissolution.  In  liis  speech  on  the  occasion,  the  gov- 
ernor said  he  was  prompted  to  that  measure  by  many 
reasons.  From  an  inspection  of  their  journals  he  observed 
they  were  bringing  their  proceedings  to  a  close,  vi^ithout 
having  heeded  most  of  the  recommendations  he  had  made 
to  them  in  his  former  speeches  and  messages,  although  the 
greater  part  of  those  recommendations  had  been  confined 
exclusively  to  the  public  sei-vice.  It  was,  indeed,  true  that 
he  had  expected  but  little  from  them  after  the  disrespect 
they  had  manifested  toward  him  by  omitting  to  present 
an  answer  to  his  speech.  But,  notwithstanding  this  mark 
of  disrespect,  such  had  been  his  anxiety  for  the  welfare  of 
the  province  that  he  had  paid  no  attention  to  it, — having 
made  to  them  from  time  to  time  all  necessary  communi- 
cations, and  given  them  all  the  information  relating  to 
the  state  of  the  colony,  within  his  power.  Nothing 
that  could  enlighten  them  had  been  withholden.  He 
spoke  of  difficulties  threatening  commotions  among  the 
Indians.  He  had  signified  to  the  assembly  the  necessity 
of  frequent  interviews  with  these  people,  and  of  making 
them  presents,  in  order  to  retain  their  confidence,  allay 
their  disquietudes,  and  renew  their  treaties.  No  respect 
had  been  paid  to  his  recommendations  upon  this  subject, — 
nor  for  the  erection  of  the  forts  wanted  in  the  interior, — 
nor  even  for  the  payment  of  scouts,  and  the  adoption  of 
such  other  prudential  measures  as  were  necessary  for  the 
security  of  the  frontier  settlers.     He  spoke  of  the  con- 


'  One  of  these  four  bills  was  for  the  encouragement  of  privateering. 
Another  was  a  bill,  originating  in  the  house,  v;hich  was  passed  by  the 
council,  on  the  tenth  of  May,  to  prevent  the  slaves  in  the  city  of  Albany 
from  running  away  to  Canada.  By  this  act  the  crime  was  declared  a  capi- 
tal offence,  and  the  council  so  amended  the  bill  that  the  offender  was  to  be 
put  to  death  "  without  benefit  of  cltrgy." 


f 


.hi 


128 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  tempt  with  which  thoy  had  treated  the  petition  of  the 
*— V —  people  north  of  Albany,  who  were  alarmed  at  the  conduct 
of  the  Indians ;  and  of  the  indecency  of  their  conduct 
toward  him  in  connection  with  that  petition.  Yet,  ho 
far  as  his  own  individual  feelings  were  concerned,  he  said 
he  could  almost  overlook  all  their  ill  treatment  of  himself, 
could  he  entertain  the  least  hope  of  awakening  them  to  ii 
proper  sense  of  their  duty  toward  his  miyesty,  and  the 
people  they  represented ;  but  they  had  treated  his  majesty's 
orders,  conveyed  in  a  letter  from  the  duke  of  Newcastle, 
with  equal  indiflcrence, — having  even  misrepresented  its 
contents,  particularly  in  regard  to  certain  orders  to  Commo- 
dore Warren,  and  the  service  in  which  he  was  engaged. 
They  had  neglected  to  make  provision  for  the  maintenance 
and  transportation  home,  of  the  French  prisoners  then 
in  the  city  of  New  York.  Nor  had  they  even  made  au 
appropriation  for  the  money  he  had  advanced,  by  the  ad- 
vice of  his  majesty's  council,  for  the  defence  of  Oswego 
on  the  breaking-  out  of  the  war.  They  had,  moreover, 
undertaken  to  exercise  the  power  of  designating  the  points 
in  the  harbor  to  be  fortified,  and  the  number  of  guns  U 
be  mounted  at  particular  ports,  and  even  directed  the 
issues  of  gun-powder  and  other  articles  of  war,  without 
consulting  the  commander-in-chief, — thus  in  eftect  assum- 
ing the  entire  administration  of  the  government,  and 
arresting  his  majesty's  authority  from  the  hands  of  the 
governor.  "  Thus  from  an  invincible  untowardness  on 
the  one  hand,  or  an  immediate  thirst  for  power  on  the 
other,  they  had  become  a  dead- weight  on  the  other  branches 
of  the  government."  They  had  "  protracted  tlie  assembly 
to  a  most  unreasonable  length,  without  doing  anything 
eflective  for  the  honor  of  his  majesty  or  the  service,  credit, 
or  security  of  the  province  or  the  people."  He  was  there- 
fore constrained  to  put  an  end  to  the  session;  and  the 
assembly  was  dissolved.' 

*  Soc  Jiiiirnuh  uf  ihc  Colotiial  Assembly. 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


129 


Meantime  the  preparations  of  Governor  Shirley,  for  the  chap. 
invasion  of  Cape  Breton,  had  been  pushed  forward  with  ^-v— - 
a  degree  of  vigor  characteristic  of  the  sons  of  the  Pilgrima   '"' 
when  roused  to  action,  and  bent  upon  some  achievement 
requiring  energy  and  courage  like  their  own.    Indeed  the 
expedition  had  embarked,  and  was 

'  ''  '     "la  brave  parsuit  of  ohivalrous  emprise," 
weeks  before  the  dissolution  of  Governor  Clinton's  re» 
fractory  assembly,  which,  with  a  parsimony  not  usual  to 
New  York,  had  refused  to  contribute  a  single  pound  ster- 
ling toward  the  undertaking.*    '    (tr//  ;.;(;   >i    ui''<-'  Mr    - 

The  design  of  Shirley  was  to  dispatch  an  army  of  at 
least  four  thousand  men  well  appointed,  and  if  possible 
to  take  Louisburg  by  surprise  —  calculating, — correctly 
as  the  event  proved, — that  the  floes  of  ice  prevailing  in  the 
waters  of  Cape  Breton  in  the  early  weeks  of  spring,  and  the 
dense  fogs,  would  prevent  any  communication  by  means  of 
w:  ich  the  enemy  could  be  apprised  of  the  intended  inva- 
sion. The  people  caught  the  enthusiasm  of  their  leaders; 
and  although  not  a  recruit  was  mustered  from  beyond  the 
confines  of  New  England,  yet  the  full  complement  was 
promptly  supplied.  Massachusetts  raised  three  ihoiisand 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men ;  Connecticut  five  hundred  and 
sixteen ;  and  New  Hampshire  three  hundred  and  four,* — 

'"The  government  of  New  York,"  says  Dunlop'a  imperfect  and  ill- 
digested  history  of  the  state,  "  was  wise  enough  to  join  in  this  plan  of  con- 
quest, and  sent  field-pieces  and  other  military  equipments  to  Qovernor 
Shirley."  Again,  op  tl^e  sam;^  page,  Dunlop  says  :  "  New  York  contributed 
in  money  to  this  expedition,  but  had  none  of  the  honor  of  reducing  Cape 
Breton."  Neither  of  these  statement?  conveys  the  exact  truth.  The 
oannc  a,  as  has  been  stated  in  the  text,  were  sent  by  the  governor  of  the 
color/,  on  his  own  responsibility  —  not  by  the  government.  Nor  was  any 
mon  )y  contributed  until  after  the  great  object  of  the  expedition  had 
bee  1  gained.    Even  then,  the  appropriation  was  beggarly. 

*  Belknap  claims  that,  including  the  crew  of  an  armed  vessel  furnished 
by  New  Hampshire,  there  were  four  hundred  and  fifty  men  commanded  by 
Colonel  Moore;  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  more  raised  in  tha^  colony, 
and  aggregated  to  a  regiment  of  Massachusetts. 
17 


« 


180 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


1746. 


cyAP-in  all,  four  thouBJind  and  neventy.  Throo  hundred  men 
were  Ilkowiflo  raised  in  Rhode  Island ;  but  they  did  not 
reach  the  point  of  doHtiiiation  until  the  great  object  of  tlio 
enterprlHe  had  been  accomplished.  These  forces  consisted, 
not  of  disciplined  soldiers,  but  in  the  main  of  husband- 
men and  mechanics  —  unused  to  service,  save  as  militia- 
men occasionally  engaged  in  the  border  forays  with  the 
Indians, — or  to  the  stern  code  of  discipline  under  the  law 
martial.  Yet  they  went  forth  with  a  resolution,  and  per- 
formed their  duties  with  a  steadiness,  that  would  have 
done  credit  to  the  veterans  of  the  duke  of  Marlborough, 
or  Turenne.  The  Connecticut  division  was  commanded 
by  Roger  Wolcott,  lieutenant-governor  of  that  colony, 
bearing  the  commission  of  major-general.  The  command 
of  the  New  Hampshire  levies  was  entrusted  to  Colonel 
Samuel  Moore.  Vaughan,  the  bold  adventurer  from  that 
colony,  refused  to  accept  any  regular  command ;  but  being 
appointed  a  member  of  the  council  of  war,  held  himself  in 
readiness  for  any  special  service  or  situation  which  might 
offer.  The  command  in  chief  of  the  expedition  was  de- 
volved upon  Colonel  William  Pepperell,  a  merchant  of 
Kitberg,  in  what  was  then  called  the  province  of  Maine, 
though  subject  to  the  colonial  government  of  Massachu- 
setts, who  was  thereupon  raised  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant- 
general.  His  second  in  command,  from  Massachusetts, 
was  Brigadier-General  Waldo.  The  selection  of  a  com- 
mander for  an  army  of  undisciplined  volunteers,  going 
Upon  a  fatiguing  and  hazardous  service,  required  the 
exercise  of  profound  judgment,  and  a  shrewd  knowledge 
of  character — qualities  which  were  happily  illustrated  in 
the  choice  of  William  Pepperell.  His  profession  had  not 
been  that  of  arms ;  but  he  had  probably  had  some  expe- 
rience in  the  border  service,  not  uii  frequently  in  those 
days.  He  was,  however,  a  man  widely  known,  and  ex- 
ceedingly popular, — of  engaging  manners,  and  a  vigorous 


LIFB  OF   SIR   WILI/IAM  JOHNSON,    DART. 


m 


frarnc.    Ilia  mind  was  of  the  firmest  texture  ;  his  courage  ohap. 
(ioiiltted  by  none;  and  his  reputation  unblemished.    These "-v—* 
qualities,  united  with  the  most  admirable  coolness  in  sea-  ^^^' 
Hoiis  of  danger,  amply  supplied  in  the  public  mind  the 
lack  of  any  very  extensive  military  experience.' 

Each  of  the  colonies  engaged  in  the  enterprise,  supplied 
iill  tlie  vessels  for  transpoits,  provision  ships,  and  cniisers, 
ill  their  power;  and  all  things  being  in  readiness,  the 
BoHton  forces  embarked  from  Nantasket,*  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  March.  Judging  from  the  long  and  minute  in- 
Htructions  from  Shirley  to  Pepporoll,  and  also  from  a  pri- 
vate letter  from  the  former  to  Governor  Wentworth,  of 
New  Hampshire,  which  has  been  preserved  by  Belknap, 
the  governor  of  Massachusetts,  though  the  author  of  the 
project,  must  have  been  wholly  unskilled  in  both  the  arts 
of  navigation  and  war.  It  had  been  his  intention  that  the 
several  divisions  of  the  expedition  should  meet  at  a  com- 
mon rendezvous,  and  the  entire  fleet  sail  in  company. 
According  to  the  letter  to  Wentworth,  it  was  his  design, 
without  making  the  least  allowance  in  their  sailing  of 
different  vessels,  or  for  variations  of  wind,  or  for  any 
other  of  the  hundred  casualties  that  might  occur,  that  the 


>The  foUowiAK  '  us  passage  occurs  in  Belknap's  interesting  account 
of  tluH  memorable  expedition :  "Before  Pepperell  accepted  the  command, 
ho  anked  tlie  o^i.iiou  of  the  famous  George  Whitelield,  who  was  then  itinerat- 
iug  aud  pre'tohiiig  in  New  England.  Wbitefield  told  him  that  h j  did  not 
think  the  Mheme  very  promising;  that  the  eyes  of  all  the  world  would  be 
upon  hiiu;  that  if  he  should  not  succeed,  the  widows  and  orphans  of  the 
slain  would  reproach  him ;  and  if  it  should  succeed,  many  would  regard 
liiiu  with  envy,  and  endeavor  to  eclipse  his  glory ;  that  he  ought,  therefore, 
logo  with  "  a  single  eye,"  and  then  he  would  find  his  struugth  proportioned 
to  liis  necessities.  Henry  Sherburne,  the  conimissarv  nf  New  Hampshire, 
another  of  Whitefield's  friend,  pressed  him  to  favor  liie  expedition,  and  give 
a  motto  for  the  flag;  to  which,  after  some  hesitatio.i,  Whitefield  oensented. 
The  motto  was,  "iViZ  deiperandum  ChrUto  duce."  This  gav3  the  expedition 
t  lie  air  of  a  crusade,  and  many  of  the  missionary's  followers  enlisted.  One 
of  them,  a  chaplain,  carried  on  his  shoulder  a  hatchet,  with  which  be  in- 
tended to  destroy  the  images  in  the  French  churches." 

Nantasket  road  —  the  entrance  into  the  harbor  of  Boston 


132 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


ii! 
I  j 


chmlp.  entire  fleet,  eonsisting  of  more  than  a  hundred  veseela 
»-v-^of  different  tonnage, — guard-ships,  transports,  and  every 
*7«.  apecies  of  craft  employed, — should  arrive  at  Chapeaurouge 
bay  at  precisely  the  same  hour,  just  after  night-fall,  to  the 
end  that  the  landing  of  the  whole  army  might  he  eftected 
under  cover  of  darkness  the  same  night,  and  all  the  fort- 
resses of  Louisburg  be  carried  by  surprise  before  morning ! ' 
All  this  was,  of  course,  impossible.  Indeed  the  New 
Hampshire  division  was  so  impatient  of  delay,  that  it 
could  not  brook  the  idea  of  coming  out  of  its  course  to 
Boston  to  join  the  common  fleet,  but  took  its  departure  in 
advance  of  the  principal  squadron.  The  idea  of  a  simul- 
taneous departure  and  arrival  of  the  whole  expedition 
having  been  abandoned  by  Shirley  on  finding  that  its 
execution  must  be  impracticable,  the  island  of  Canseau 
was  designated  as  the  rendezvous,  at  which  place  the  New 
Hampshire  division  arrived  on  the  thh'ty-tii'st  of  March  — 
four  days  before  Pepperell  came  up  with  the  Massachusetts 
fleet.  The  veteran  Wolcott,  who  was  then  sixty-six  years 
old,  and  who,  thirty-four  years  before,  had  served  in  a 
campaign  against  Canada,  arrived  with  the  Connecticut 
squadron  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  April.  The  Rhode  Island 
levies,  owing  to  various  mischances,  were  so  unfortunate 
as  not  to  reach  the  scene  of  action  until  the  business  upon 
which  they  went  had  been  accomplished. 

A  number  of  circumstances,  not  depending  upon  hu- 
man foresight,  have  been  noted  by  Belknap,  Douglass,  and 
other  authors,  as  greatly  favoring  this  undertaking.  The 
winter  was  remarkable  for  its  mildness,  so  that  the  harbors 
and  rivers  of  New  England  were  open  in  February,  and 
the  people  were  enabled  to  perform  every  descriptiou 
of  labor  abroad  without  inconvenience.     The  earth  had 

*  "  The  inyentiye  genius  of  New  England  had  been  aroused,  one  proposed 
a  model  of  a  flying  bridge  to  scale  the  walls, —  even  before  a  bridge  could 
be  made ;  another  was  ready  with  a  caution  against  mines ;  a  third,  who 
was  a  minister,  presented  to  the  merchant  general,  ignorant  of  war,  a  plan 
for  encamping  the  army,  opening  trenches,  and  placing  batteries."— 
Bancroft. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNBON,   BART. 


188 


yielded  her  increaBe  by  handfuls  the  preceding  season,  bo  chap. 
that  provisions  were  abundant.    The  Indians,  in  the  in-  w^— ' 
terest  of  the  French,  remained  so  quietly  in  their  lodges,  ^'*^* 
that  they  obtained  no  information  of  the  projected  enter- 
prise in  season  to  allow  them  to  communicate  the  design. 
"  On  the  other  hand,  the  garrison  of  Louisburg  was  dis- 
contented and  mutinous ;  they  were  in  want  of  provisions 
and  stores ;  their  shores  were  so  environed  with  ice  that 
no  supplies  could  arrive  early  from  France,  and  those 
which  came  afterward  were  intercepted  and  taken  by  the 
English  and  colonial  cruisers.^    In  short,  if  any  one  cir- 
cumstance had  taken  a  wrong  turn  on  the  side  of  the 
invaders,  and  if  any  one  circumstance  had  not  taken  a 
wrong  turn  on  the  side  of  the  French,  the  expedition 
must  have  miscarried." '  .,.. . 

I  have  already  said,  incidentally,  judging  from  his  in- 
structions to  Pepperell,  that  Shirely  must  have  been  en- 
tirely unskilled  in  the  arts  both  of  war  and  of  seamanship. 
Those  instructions  were  drawn  up  at  great  length,  and 
with  a  degree  of  minuteness,  in  regard  to  matters  of  pos- 
sible occurrence  even  of  trifling  moment,  resembling, 
in  legal  phrase,  a  bill  of  particulars.  Every  movement, 
to  be  made  bo+h  upon  land  and  water,  was  directed  in  the 
body  of  the  instructions  with  as  much  precision  as  though 
it  were  not  possible  either  for  the  winds  or  the  waves  to 
inter^^ose  contingencies  in  the  way  of  the  closet  calcula- 
tions of  the  writer.  On  reading  them  over,  it  would  seem 
as  though  not  the  slightest  particle  of  discretion  was  to 
be  allowed  to  the  comn^anding  general.  These  general 
instructions  were  reiterated  in  a  supplementary  order  on 
the  eve  of  Pepperell's  departure,  even  to  the  adjustment 
of  hooks  and  lines  to  enable  the  cruisers  to  supply  the 
camp  with  fresh  fish.  Directions  thus  minute  and  per- 
emptory, might  have  been  found  exceedingly  inconve- 
nient in  the  varying  circumstances  of  a  protracted  siege, 

^  Belknap. 


i/ 


i; 


)\ 


;;»*        H* 


184 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


If 


oHAft  by  land  and  water,  but  for  a  seasonable  postscript  appended 
Wyw  to  the  last-mentioned  order,  in  those  words :  "  Upon  the 
'•«»'  whole,  notwithstanding  the  instructions  you  have  received 
from  me,  I  must  leave  you  to  act  upon  unforeseen  emer- 
gencies according  to  your  best  discretion."  It  was  indeed 
fortunate  that  this  most  important  clause  of  the  many  folios 
of  directions  was  given,  since  the  expedition  was  detained 
at  Canseau  three  whole  weeks,  waiting  for  the  dissolution 
or  removal  of  the  ice  which  environed  the  islanda,  and,  by 
coasting  the  bay  of  Chapeau  rouge,  or  Qabarus,  as  it  was 
called  by  the  English,  during  all  that  period  protected 
Capo  Breton  from  invasion.'  Indeed  the  absurdity  of 
Shirley's  original  idea  of  keeping  the  squadron  compactly 
together  during  the  voyage,  and  of  a  simultaneous  laud- 
ing, regardless  of  ice,  or  storm,  or  fogs,  or  ^urf,  was  sig- 
nally illustrated  by  the  event ;  for  what  witli  tempestuous 
weather,  and  unequal  sailing,  the  iirst  point  of  destination, 
Canseau,  was  attained  in  the  most  desultory  manner. 
Only  twenty  of  the  main  squadron  arrived  with  Pepperell; 
and  more  than  a  week  elapsed  before  the  vessels  all  came 
up.*  But  this  time  was  not  lost  by  the  commanding  gene- 
ral, whose  vigilance  in  obtaining  information  was  sleep- 
less, and  whose  activity  in  in^p^rtiug  discipline  to  his 
troops  was  untiring.  A  strong  squadron  of  armed  colonial 
vessels,  under  Captain  Edward  Tyng,  commander  of  the 
Massachusetts  frigate,  was  kept  cruising  oft'  Louisburg, 
to  cut  oft*  such  of  the  enemy's  vessels  as  might  attempt 
either  to  enter  or  depart,  and  the  prizes  taken  by  them 
afforded  valuable  additions  to  the  provisions  of  the  army.' 

1  Eren  the  Key.  Dr.  Belknap,  whose  trade  waH  not  of  war,  oritioiees 
these  instructions,  drawn,  as  he  says,  by  a  lawyer,  to  be  executed  by  a 
merchant,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  husbandmen  and  mechanios. 
«  Letter  from  General  Pepperell  to  Governor  Shirley.  '  : 

»  Letter  of  Pepperell  to  Shirley.  Governor  Shirley  having  directed  Tyng 
to  procure  the  largest  ship  in  his  power,  he  had  purchased  this  ship  when 
on  the  stocks,  and  nearly  ready  for  launching.  It  was  a  ship  of  about  four 
hundred  tons,  and  was  soon  afterward  launched  at  Boston.  Tyng  com- 
manded her  and  was  appointed  commander  of  the  fleet. — Note  in  Uolma. 


m  I 

'■4  I 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


186 


:  (■ 


I 


^'"^  Although,  as  I  have  already  said,  the  design  of  this  chap. 
expodition  had  been  commnnicated  to  the  ministera  of  the  wy-.* 
crown,  in  the  expectation  of  receiving  assistance  thence,  ^^*** 
yet  it  had  been  conducted  thus  far  altogether  upon  the 
resources  of  the  colonies  themselves ;  confident,  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  in  their  own  strength,  yet  anticipating 
such  assistance.  In  the  hope,  moreover,  of  securing  the 
co-operation  of  Commodore  Warren,  then  in  the  West 
India  seas,  even  before  he  could  receive  direct  instructions 
from  home,  an  express  boat  had  been  dispatched  to  him, 
communicating  the  project  on  foot,  and  requesting  the  aid 
at  least  of  a  detachment  from  his  squadron.  But  on  a 
consultation  with  his  officers  he  was  dissuaded  from  en- 
gaging in  the  enterprise;  and  the  boat,  conveying  the 
news  of  this  determination,  returned  to  Boston  two  days 
before  the  departure  of  the  forces.*  The  intelligence, 
'  r^wever,  though  unexpected,  operated  only  as  a  partial 
1  (»ouragement, —  strong  confidence  being  entertained  that 
I'epperell  would  be  supported  from  England  with  ships 
and  reinforcements  of  troops.'  'j!.:."fi''  «  .)Vii  nuv  ;.!}.:.. 
The  promotion  of  Captain  Warren  to  the  Superbe,  of 
sixty  guns,  and  his  being  left  on  the  Antigua  station  by 
Sir  Chaloner  Ogle,  as  commodore  of  a  small  squadron, 
are  circumstances  in  the  career  of  this  truly  brave  and 
illustrious  man,  that  have  already  been  noted.  His  suc- 
cess in  making  captures  in  the  West  India  seas  had 
been  great;  and  perhaps  his  officers  were  reluctant  to 
relinquish  a  genial  winter  climate,  yielding  such  golden 
returns  of  prize-money,  in  exchange  for  the  icebergs  and 
bleak  regions  of  the  north.  He  had  captured  two  French 
prizes  oh  his  way  to  Barbadoes  a  few  months  before ;  *  and 
while  occupying  a  station  off  Martinique,  his  extraordinary 
activity  was  rewarded  by  more  than  twenty  valuable  prizes, 
one  of  which  was  estimated  at  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 


i  \  (■_  m 


iii--il 


1^ 


M 


:  -  [; 

'ii'  ■Xif 


'  Marshall. 

*  Letter  frem  Shirley  to  Pepperell. 


is 


186 


LIFE  OP  SIE  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  pounds  sterling.^    But  notwithstanding  his  refusal  of  aid 


>— ^--to  the  expedition  on  the  application  of  Governor  ShiiU: ,, 
1746,  ijjf,  orders  from  the  admiralty,  upon  the  subject,  brought 
him  upon  the  New  England  coast  with  the  Launceton  and 
Eltham,  >f  forty  guns  each,  in  addition  to  his  own  ship, 
and  in  addition,  also,  to  the  Mermaid  of  the  same  force, 
by  which  be  was  joined  shortly  after  his  arrival.'  With- 
out entering  the  harbor  of  l^antasket,  the  commodore 
placed  himself  in  communication  with  Shirley,  and  having 
ascertained  that  the  expedition  had  previously  sailed,  he 
proceeded  directly  to  Canseau,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
twenty-th.rd  of  April;  and  after  a  conference  with  Pep- 
perell,  assumed  the  command  of  the  naval  forces  by  ex- 
press orders  from  the  admiralty.  Previous  to  his  arrival, 
the  colonial  squadi'on,  under  Captain  Tyng,  had  taken 
several  prizes, — vessels  laden  chiefly  with  provisions^ — 
which  were  received  in  good  time  by  General  Pepperell. 
The  New  Hampshire  armed  sloop  h»d  been  remarkably 
successful, —  she  having  captured  a  ship  from  Martinique, 
and  with  her,  recaptured  one  of  the  transports  which  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  French  on  the  day  before 
"Warren's  arrival.  ,.  ;.  -.  .i  .)  ...  ■  .:  i  .  .  ..m;,^  ;  ^ 
The  two  commanders  having  concerted  their  plans, 
"Warren  sailed  to  cruise  off  the  harbor  of  Louisburg, 
where  he  was  soon  afterward  joined  by  the  Canterbury 
and  Sunderland,  of  sixty  guns  each,  and  the  Chester  of 
fifty,  all  from  England,  which  enabled  him  to  institute  a 
vigorous  blockade.  Meantime,  the  ice  no  longer  effectually 
impeding  the  navigation,  the  general,  after  having  sent 
out  a  detachment  which  desti'oyed  the  village  of  St.  Peters, 
and  scattered  the  inhabitants,  embarked  with  his  forces 
on  the  twenty-ninth  of  April,  for  the  point  of  the  grand 
attack.  Shirley,  even  in  his  final  instructions,  had  not 
altogether  abandoned  his  original  idea  of  a  landing  by 
night,  and  an  assault  by  surprise ;  so  that  Pepperell  was 


1  Charnock. 
'  Idem. 


•>->1- 


I  i  •  -.  ■• 


LIPH  OP   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


187 


fltill  enjoined  "to  sail  with  the  whole  fleet  from  CanseaucHAp. 
80  as  to  arrive  in  Chapeaurouge  bay  at  nine  o'clock  wv—* 
in  the  evening.  The  troops  were  to  land  in  four  l^*** 
divisions,  and  proceed  to  the  assault  before  morning. 
In  the  event  of  &  failure  of  surprisal,  particular  direc- 
tions were  given  how  to  land,  march,  encamp,  attack, 
and  defend ;  to  hold  councils  and  keep  records ;  and  to 
send  intelligence,  and  by  what  particular  vessels ;  ^  and  a 
hundred  other  minute  instructions  wero  giv  en,  to  be  nullified 
daily  by  a  hundred  unforeseen  contingencies.  Obedience 
to  the  letter  was  out  of  the  question.  Instead  of  making 
the  point  designated  in  the  evening,  the  falling  of  *hd 
wind  brought  them  oft'  the  mouth  of  the  bay  only  at 
eight  o'cli  ok  the  next  morning  —  ^  "the  intended  surprisal 
being  thus  happily  frustrated,"  as  Belknap  naively  observes. 
But  notwithstanding  the  long  delay  at  Canseau,  the  block- 
ade of  the  cape  by  the  ice  and  the  fleet  had  been  so  ef- 
fectual, that  no  knowledge  of  the  approach  of  an  enemy 
had  been  received  in  Louisburg,  and  the  appearance  of 
the  fleet  of  a  hundred  transports  in  the  bay,  was  the  first 
intimation  they  had  of  his  proximity.*  It  was  a  moment 
of  intense  interest  to  the  army  when  they  came  actually 
in  sight  of  Louisburg.  "Its  walls,  raised  on  a  neck  of 
land  on  the  south  side  of  the  ha^'bor,  forty  feet  thick  at 
the  base,  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high,  all  swept 
from  the  bastions,  surrounded  by  a  ditch  eighty  feet  wide, 
furnished  with  one  hundred  and  one  cannon,  seventy-six 
swivels,  and  six  mortars ;  its  garrison  composed  of  more 
than  sixteen  hundred  men  ;  and  the  harbor  defended  by 
an  island  battery  of  thirty  twenty-two-pouuders,  and  by 
the  royal  battery  on  the  shore,  having  thirty  large  cannon^ 
a  moat,  and  bastions,  all  so  perfect  that  it  was  thought 
two  hundred  men  could  have  defended  it  against  five 

1  Belknap.    See,  also,  the  instructions  at  large,  in  the  first  volume  Massa- 
chusetts Transactions. 
'  Letter  of  Pepperell  to  Shirley.  '  i 

^Belknap. 


xo 


188 


LIFE  OF  S'^il  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


•^aEEMKiEi:^-;., 


CRAF.  thousand.^  Yet,  though  forgetful  of  these  advantagos 
»_^— /  of  strength  and  position,  nothing  could  exceed  tho  con- 
1746.  stemation  into  which  the  inhahitants  and  garrison  were 
thrown  by  this  very  unexpected  visit.  The  governor  made 
a  feeble  attempt  to  prevent  the  landing  by  sending  out  a 
detachment  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  for  that  purpose ; 
but  they  were  attacked  with  spirit  and  compelled  to  retire 
with  the  loss  of  several  killed  5»nd  a  number  who  were 
made  prisoners,—.-  among  whom  were  some  persons  of  dis- 
tinction. These  enemies  having  been  thus  summarily  dis- 
posed of,  the  debarkation  was  eftected  without  the  loss  of 
a  man.  In  their  flight  the  French  burnt  several  houses 
situated  between  the  grand  battery  rnd  the  town.  Several 
vessels  were  also  sunk  in  the  harbor,  but  for  what  particu- 
lar design  is  not  known.  \tt'^1il':.:iuvi'\  'Ifq-lftd  *;(.'i  ^ii;  '  : 
The  enthusiasm  with  which  the  expedition  had  been 
undertaken  by  the  citizen-soldiers,  was  unabated,  and  pre- 
parations were  made  for  investing  the  city  without  delay. 
The  point  of  debarkation  was  about  a  league  from  the 
town.  The  first  column  that  advanced  was  led  through 
the  woods  in  sight  of  the  town,  by  Colonel  Vaughan,  the 
daring  spirit  who  had  been  so  earnest  from  the  first  in 
urging  foi-ward  the  enterprise,  ard  by  whom  the  enemy 
showing  himself  upon  the  ramparta,  was  saluted  with 
three  cheers.  On  the  night  following,  the  second  of  May, 
Vaughan  marched  at  the  head  of  a  detachment,  composed 
chiefly  of  New  Hampshire  troops,  to  the  northeast  part  of 
the  harbor,  where  he  burned  the  enemy's  ware-houses, 
containing  their  naval  stores,  and  staved  in  a  large  quantity 
of  wine  and  brandy.  The  smoke  of  this  conflagration, 
driven  by  the  wind  into  the  grand  battery,  so  terrified  the 
French  that  tLey  precipitately  abandoned  it,  spiking  their 
guns,  and  retiring  into  the  city.  The  next  morning  while 
reconnoitering  the  works  with  a  small  party  of  only  thirteen 
men,  observing  that  no  smoke  issued  from  the  chimneys 
of  the  battery,  Vaughan  prevailed  upon  an  Indian  to  enter 

1  Bancroft. 


-^ 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSOK4   BART. 


189 


through  an  embrasure  and  open  the  gate.  Immediate  chap. 
possession  was  taken  of  the  fortress,  and  one  of  the  brave  «->— ' 
fellows  of  the  band  climbed  the  flag-staft*  carrying  aloft  a  ^^-  '" 
red  coat  in  his  teeth,  which  he  hoisted  in  triumph  ad  a 
banner.  The  French  immediately  sent  out  one  hundred 
men  to  retake  the  battery ;  but  Vaughan  held  them  at  bay 
until  a  regiment  r  ived  to  his  relief  and  the  conquest  was 
secured.  The  guns  that  had  been  spiked  were  mostly  forty- 
two-pounders.  ^  The  trunnions  had  not  been  knocked  off; 
and  by  active  drilling,  under  the  direction  of  Major  Pom- 
roy,  of  i^orthampton, — a  gun-smith  when  at  home,'' — 
about  twenty  of  thom  were  soon  rendered  fit  for  service. 
The  greater  number  of  these  guns  were  intended  for  the 
defence  of  the  harbor ;  but  four  of  them  were  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  town  with  great  eflect, — almost  every  shot 
being  made  to  tell,  and  some  of  the  balls  falling  upon  the 
roof  of  the  citadel.*  The  general  was  at  a  loss  to  con- 
jecture why  the  enemy  abandoned  so  line  a  battery,  but 
concluded  that  it  must  have  been  occasioned  by  a  deficiency 
of  men.  The  French  turned  some  of  their  guns  against 
this  battery,  not  without  making  some  considerable  im- 
pression upon  its  walls.  Twice,  also,  in  the  course  of  ten 
days,  they  rallied  out  for  its  recovery,  but  in  both  in- 
stai.ces  were  repu'sed  with  loss.  The  loss  of  the  Ameri- 
cans in  this  afi'air  was  very  slight. 

The  siege  was  pressed  with  vigor,  but  its  prosecution 
was  attended  with  almost  incredible  labor  and  difficulty. 
For  fourteen  successive  nights  the  troops  were  employed 
ill  dragging  their  cannon  from  the  landing  place  to  the 
camp  through  a  morass,  so  miry  that  neither  cattle  nor 
horses  could  be  used  for  that  purpose.  The  men  sunk 
to  their  knees  in  the  slough,  and  the  cannon  could  only 
be  drawn  even  upon  sledges  constructed  for  that  purpose  by 
Colonel  Misseroe,  who,  fbrtunatelj  was  a  carpenter  before 


:  l^ 


1  Letters  of  Pepperell  to  Shirley. 

'  Bancroft. 

'  Pepperell  to  Shirley. 


'.     ..■!'■ 


140 


LIFK  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  J0UN80N,  BART. 


CHAP,  ho  took  to  tlio  profossion  of  arms.  What  added  essentially 
s.^  to  tho  severity  of  this  labor,  was  the  circumstance  that  it 
1746.  could  only  be  performed  in  the  night,  or  when  curtained 
by  the  heavy  fogs  resting  upon  the  island ;  bince  the  dis- 
tance was  not  only  within  view  of  the  town,  but  within 
reaching  distance  of  their  cannon.*  The  approaches  of 
tbe  besiegers  were  not  made  with  strategic  regularity. 
Indeed  the  ears  of  a  martinet  would  doubtless  have  been 
shocked  at  the  barbarisms  of  the  provincials  in  using,  or 
attempting  to  use  the  tecL  calitiesof  military  science — 
or  rather  at  the  jesting  and  mockery  which  they  made  of 
them.*  Still,  the  approaches  were  mcde,  generally  under 
cover  of  night ;  und  in  ten  days  after  the  debarkation, 
they  were  within  four  hundred  yards  of  the  towi ,  with 
cannon  planted  upon  several  commanding  heights,  while 
a  fascine  battery  had  b'^en  erected  on  the  west  sideiof 

1  Tho  men  who  performed  this  aeToro  Bervioe  were  much  disappointed 
and  chagrined  when  they  found  that  it  was  not  more  distinctly  acknowledged 
in  the  accounts  Which  were  sent  to  England,  and  afterward  published.  Tho 
Ble^e  WAb  signalized  by  many  meritorious  exploits  whicli  were  not  men- 
tiMied  by  General  Pepperell  in  his  dispatches,  as,  for  instance,  Taughan's 
expedidoa  on  the  night  after  the  landing,  and  his  seizure  of  the  great  ^  at- 
tei7,  with  only  thirteen  men,  on  the  next  morning. 

*  Bancroft.  There  was  doubtless  much  less  of  military  seniority  among 
the  besiegers  during  this  campaign,  than  would  have  been  the  fact  in  an 
army  of  regular  soldiers ;  and  much  less  of  strict  military  discipline  than 
their  (cliMMdnding  officers  ootild  have  desired.  "It  has  been  said,  *'re- 
mairkB  Mb.  Belknap,  "  that  this  siege  was  carried  on  in  a  random,  tumult- 
uary manner,  resembling  a  Cambridge  commencement.  The  remark  is  in 
a  great  measure  true.  Though  the  business  of  the  council  of  war  was  cou- 
dudted  with  all  the  formality  of  a  legislative  assembly ;  though  orders 
ittn  issued  by  the  general,  and  returns  made  by  the  officers  of  the  several 
posts ;  yet  the  want  of  discipline  was  too  visible  in  the  camp.  Those  who 
were  oi  the  spot  have  frequently,  in  my  hearing,  laughed  at  the  recital  of 
their  own  irregularities,  and  expressed  their  admiration  when  they  reflected 
on  the  almost  miraculous  preservation  of  the  army  from  destruction.  They 
indeed  presented  a  formidable  ft*ont  to  the  enemy ;  but  the  rear  was  a  scene 
of  confusion  and  frolic.  While  some  were  on  duty  in  the  trenches,  others 
were  racing,  wrestling,  pitching  quoits,  firing  at  marks,  or  at  birds,  or 
running  after  shot  from  the  enemy's  guns,  for  which  they  received  a  bounty^ 
and  the  shot  was  sent  back  to  t'uc  city." 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BAET. 


141 


the  city    upon  which    eight    twenty-two-pounders  w  vc  ciup- 
mounted.  *-v— ' 

On  the  seventh  of  May,  after  a  conference  between  the  ^''^^r 
naval  and  military  commanders,  it  was  agreed  to  summon 
Duchamboau,  the  French  governor,  to  surrender.  This 
summons  having  been  refused,  H  was  then  determined  to 
prosecute  the  siege  in  a  yet  more  vigorous  manner,  and 
to  attack  the  island  battery,  in  boats,  the  first  favorable 
opportunity.^  It  was  a  formidable  undertaking.  This 
"island  battery"  stood  upon  a  small  rock,  almost  inac- 
cessible, about  two  hundred  yards  long  by  twenty  m 
breadth,  with  a  circular  battery  of  forty-two  pounders 
commanding  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  and  a  guard 
house  and  barracks  behind.''  On  the  eighteenth  of  May, 
the  besiegers  had  thrown  up  a  battery  within  two  hunflred 
yards  of  the  western  gate,  whereon  were  mounted  two 
forty-two,  and  two  eighteen  pounders,  which  annoyed  the 
town  considerably  ;  but  several  of  the  siege  pieces  of  ord- 
nance were  defective,  and  by  bursting,  or  otherwise,  were 
83on  rendered  useless.'  Indeed  there  was  great  defective- 
ness in  the  equipments  of  the  rank  and  file ;  but  the  siege 
was,  nevertheless,  persisted  in  with  the  most  indomitable 
perseverance.  Between  the  eighteenth  and  twenty-eighth 
of  the  month  five  unsuccessful  attempts  were  made  by 
Pepperell  to  carry  that  battery,  in  the  last  of  which  he  lost 
nearly  two  hundred  men,  killed,  and  many  more  drowned, 
before  they  could  land,  besides  several  boats  which  were 
shot  to  pieces.  Although  repulsed,  the  attack  was  bravely 
conducted.  The  troops  who  succeeded  in  landing  made  a 
noble  stand,  and  an  officer  named  Brookes  nearly  succeed- 
ed in  striking  the  flag  of  the  fortress.  It  was  already  half 
cloven  when  a  French-Swiss,  a  dragoon,  clove  his  skull 
with  his  cutlass.*    The  expediency  of  making  yet  another 

1  Letter  from  General  Pepperell  to  Governor  Shirley. 

'  Letter  of  "  an  old  English  merchant "  to  the  earl  of  Sandwich. 

'  Pepperell's  letters. 

^  Letter  from  -'an  old  English  merchant"  to  the  eail  of  Sandwich. 


til 


142 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  J0H5S0N,   BART. 


^Im.**"  ^t^^'T^Pt  upon  this  fortress  was  discussed  in  council,  but 
w„^ — '  such  ^eas    its    strength,    and    the    commanding    udvan- 
1746.  ta^gg  ^f  j^g  position,  and  so  difficult  was  the  landing  ren- 
dered by  the  surf,  that  the  project  was  abandoned  m 
impracticable.* 

During  thcHC  operations  upon  land,  Commodore  Warren 
had  been  cruising  ott"  the  harbor  with  splendid  Hucceas. 
So  closely  was  the  entrance  guarded  that  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  single  sloop  laden  chiefly  with  zinc,  everythint;' 
that  attempted  to  get  in  was  captured ;  the  con8e(pieiu'e 
was  that  b(n!  town  and  garrioon  were  soon  reduced  to 
great  distress  for  provisions.  A  large  ship,  the  Vigilante, 
commanded  by  the  Marquis  de  la  Maison  Forte,  from 
Brest,  deeply  laden  with  military  and  other  supplioH, 
having  on  board  reinforcements  to  the  number  of  five 
hundred  and  sixty  men,  and  bringing  also  two  or  time 
years'  pay  for  the  troops'  was  known  by  Buchambeau  to 
be  on  her  passage,  and  great  dependance  was  i>laced  upon 
this  arrival  for  relief.  But  this,  the  governor's  last  hope, 
was  cut  off  by  "Warren,  —  the  ship  having  been  decoyed 
by  one  of  the  frigates  into  the  centre  of  his  squadron  arid 
captured  on  the  niuteenth  of  May  —  "  almost  without 


resistance.'* 


f  )'i 


^  Letter  of  Pepperell  to  Commodore  Warren,  in  which  he  otaios  th'}  exact 
loss  in  killed,  in  the  last  abortive  attack  upoft  the  .Island,  at  one  hundred 
and  eighty-nine.  <,.,,>.  ;,,!_•.  ., 

'  Letter  from  Madame  Warren  to  her  brother.  Chief  Justico  De  Lanccy. 
irritten  after  the  capture  of  the  Vigilante. 

•  So  says  Charnock,  in  the  Biographia  Navalii.  But  Bnncroft  says  (he 
Vigilante  'was  decoyed  by  Douglass,  of  the  Mermaid,  and  taken  after  nii 
engagement  of  several  hours."  I  have  seen  another  authority  in  wliicb 
Douglass  is  named  as  the  captain  of  this  ship.  Yet  there  is  doubt  iipun 
the  subject.  Holmes,  in  a  note,  cites  from  Alden,  the  biographer  of  Capiain 
Tyng,  a  statement  that  the  Vigilante  was  taken  by  this  officer,  cominiiniling. 
as  we  have  seen,  the  Massachusetts  provincial  frigate.  Other  books  and 
several  private  letters  among  the  Johnson  manuscripts  attribute  the  enp- 
tiire  to  Warreu.  As  the  commander  of  the  squadron,  it  is  settled  in  pcnc- 
ral  history,  that  the  credit  in  chief  should  be  awarded  to  him.  Alden's 
authority  for  awarding  the  particular  credit  to  Tyng  I  do  not  know. 


LIPB  OP  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


148 


Although  the  island  fortreBs  had  not  yet  been  taken,  chap. 
Htill  a  battery  erected  upon  a  high  clift'at  the  light-house,  w^—/ 
greatly  annoyed  it.  Nevei-theless,  in  the  eye  of  Warren,  ^'^^' 
the  operations  of  the  siege  advanced  so  slowly,  that,  impa- 
tient of  delay,  even  after  the  capture  of  the  Vigilante, 
having  taken  the  opinion  of  a  council  of  his  officers,  he 
wrote  to  ]'epperell,  proposing  that  a  decisive  blow  should 
1)C  struck  by  a  combined  attack  by  land  and  sea.  The  fogs 
wore  a  great  annoyance  to  the  commodore,  being  often  so 
dense,  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  communicate  with 
his  consorts  for  two  or  three  days  at  a  time.  On  more 
than  one  occasion,  interviews  between  the  land  and  naval 
commanders  had  been  prevented  by  the  same  cause.  Fur- 
thermore the  commodore  had  been  more  than  thr-  e  months 
at  sea,  and  was  wearied  of  the  service  of  cruising  upon 
such  a  limited  station.  But  vhe  plans  submitted  by  the 
commodore  for  the  proposed  assault,  were  not  agreeable  to 
Pepperell  and  his  board  of  officers,  and  a  correspondence 
was  maintained  upon  the  subjec:  for  several  days, — ^War- 
ren occasionally  showing  a  degree  of  earnestness,  bordering  1745, 
perhaps,  upon  asperity.  Yet  he  protested  that  his  only 
desire  was  for  the  success  of  the  expedition,  and  the  honor 
and  interests  of  the  crown  ;  and  he  distinctly  disclaimed 
the  disposition  to  give  the  least  offence.* 

At  length,  however,  the  batteries  of  Pepperell  continu- 
ing to  make  considerable  progress  against  the  walls  of  the 
town,  on  the  first  of  June  it  was  determined  between  the 
two  commanders  that  a  combined  assault  should  be  made 
as  soon  as  the  necessary  arrangements  could  be  completed. 
For  this  purpose  a  large  body  of  the  land  forces  were  to 
he  embarked  on  board  the  fleet,  which  was  to  force  the 
harbor  and  land  them  in  front  of  the  town,  covered  by  the 
guns  of  the  ships.  A  bombardment  of  the  town  was  to 
ensue,  while  Pepperell  was  to  make  a  simultaneous  attack 
through  the  breaches  at  the  west  gate.    Before  this  could 

1  Correspondence  between  Warren  and  Pepperell. 


144 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP.  1)0  d(«ie,  however,  there  was  a  lbrmi<Uvhlo  obstacle  to  ]w 
^-v—-  Huriiiountod  —  the  "  island  bullory,"  heretofore  mentioned, 
^'^^^'  and  upon  which  aevcral  ill-atarrcd  attacks  had  already  been 
mmle.  It  was  deemed  too  hazardous  an  undertaking  thiiH 
to  enter  tlio  harbor  before  that  battery  should  bcbik'ncod; 
it  behig  generally  dou^  od  whether,  having  entered  tlut 
liarl  or,  in  the  event  of  u  repulse  from  the  town,  the  fleet 
would  bo  al)Ie  to  get  to  sea  again.  Such  was  the  opinion 
of  the  officers  of  Warren,  at  a  council  holden  on  the 
seventh  of  June;  and  plans  were  then  considered  for 
another  attack  upon  the  island,  to  be  made  by  the  shipH, — 
former  experience  having  proven  that  boats  were  entirely 
inadequate  to  such  a  severe  and  perilous  service.  An  at- 
tempt of  this  kind  the  commodore  was  yet  ])etter  cTiabled 
to  make  after  the  tenth  of  June  on  which  day  his  squad- 
ron was  farther  strengthened  by  the  arriv.il  of  the  PrinccKh 
Mary,  the  Hector,  and  the  Lark.*  .  ■  •• 

Happily,  however,  a  further  eflTision  of  blood  waft  ren- 
dered unnecessary  by  a  Huccessful  ruse  de  guirrey  eug-- 
gested  by  Warren,  and  executed  jointly  by  Pepperell  and 
himself.  The  French  garrison,  mutinous  when  the  siego 
commenced,  reduced  in  numbers  during  its  progrcHs, 
and  to  great  distress  by  the  blockade,  was  supposed  to  be 
not  in  the  best  possible  humor  for  continuing  the  defence; 
and  as  advices  had  been  received  that  a  large  fleet  with 
provisions  and  reinforcements  for  the  succor  of  the  fortrcHs, 
might  shortly  be  expected  on  the  coast,  it  was  considered 
wise  to  hasten  matters  to  a  decision.  It  was  moreover 
believed  that  Duchambon  was  yet  ignorant  of  the  fate  of 
the  Vigilante,  and  also  of  the  capture  of  a  large  rice  ship 
and  several  other  vessels  laden  with  supplies ;  and  it  wiis 
suggested  by  Warren  that  should  a  flag  be  sent  into  the 
town  witli  this  information,  by  the  hand  of  a  discreet 
officer  able  to  act  his  part  well,  the  French  commander 
might  be  induced  to  capitulate  from  sheer  discouragement 
or  despondency.    Another  part  of  the  scheme  was  to  play 


unconscK 


1  Correspondence  of  Pepperell  and  Warren. 


LIPB   OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNflON,   BART. 


145 


npon  his  fears.  To  thin  end  it  was  proponed  that  tho  Mar-OHA». 
quis  de  la  Maison  Forte  should  bo  taken  through  tlie  sov-  -^-v-* 
oral  ships  of  the  squadron,  that  he  might  see  how  kindly  ^'*** 
the  French  prisoners  were  treated  by  the  English.  The 
Marquis  was  next  to  bo  informed  that  the  English  had  boon 
advised  of  the  fa(3t  that  several  of  their  people  who  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  French  and  Indians,  hod  beou 
treated  with  horrible  barbarity  ;  and  he  was  to  be  requested 
to  ask  for  as  good  treatment  of  the  English  prisoners  in 
tho  town,  as  they,  (fihc  French,)  were  receiving  on  board  tho 
fleet.  The  e:  pedient  was  successful,  and  the  captive  com- 
mander of  the  Vigilante  readily  c)nsented  to  address  the  'le- 
sired  letter  to  Duchambon,  annoTtncing  the  loss  of  his  ship, 
and  speaking  of  the  other  matters  that  had  been  concerted. 
In  regard  to  the  treatment  experienced  bj'  himself  a  -1  fel- 
low captives,  since  their  misfortune,  the  captive  marquis 
said  they  were  dealt  with  not  as  enemies,  but  as  "very  gooc 
friends;"  and  in  conclusion,  he  cn'tioned  tho  g-  -'frnor 
against  allowing  the  cruelties  complained  of  to  )  o  j  "ac- 
ticed  upon  the  English  prisoners  in  his  power.  Captain 
Macdonald,  the  officer  to  whom  the  flag  was  confided,  dis- 
charged his  duty  well ;  and  the  threat  which  he  bore  qf  re*- 
taliation  for  the  cruelties  complained  of,  unless  they  should 
be  ended,  had  its  effect.  The  bearing  of  the  captain,  was 
that  of  a  soldier*  sure  of  victory  in  a  few  days,  and  appa- 
rently indifferent  whether  the  besieged  continued  their 
defence  or  not.  Pepperell  in  his  message  by  the  flag, 
made  no  demand  of  a  surrender ;  while  on  tho  other  hand, 
the  whole  affair  was  conducted  as  thoi--;;;'  the  commander 
of  the  besiegers,  certain  of  a  speedy  conquest,  scarcely 
thought  it  necessary  again  to  speak  of  a  capitulation. 
Meantime  the  flag-officer,  Macdonald,  affecting  entire 
ignorance  of  the  French  language  though  understanding 
it  well,  heard  ail  that  passed  between  the  French  officers 
themselves,  who,  speaking  without  suspicion  or  reserve, 
unconsciously  confirmed  the  suspicious  of  Pepperell  and 


19 


146 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


OHAP.  Warren,  that  the  besieged  were  in  truth  ignorant  of  the 
'^-„— 'loss  of  the  Vigilante,  until  that  hour.  ^  >;    r 

1746.  rjijjQ  news  of  this  loss  sank  deep  into  the  hearts  of  the 
French.  They  saw,  moreover,  that  preparations  were  on 
foot  for  an  assault,  which,  from  the  scattered  positions  of 
the  beseigers,  and  the  inequalities  of  the  ground  around 
the  town,  they  could  form  no  intelligent  estimate  of  their 
numbers  —  such  prisoners  as  had  fallen  into  their  hands 
having  vnth.  singular  uniformity  reported  the  invading 
forces  much  more  numerous  than  they  actually  were. 
Under  all  these  adverse  events  and  circumstances,  and 
discouraged,  moreover,  by  the  menacing  appearances 
without,  Duchambon  determined  to  surrender,  and  on  the 
sixteenth  of  June  articles  of  capitulation  were  signed. 
The  terms  of  this  capitulation  were  honorable  to  the  van- 
quished, who  were  allowed  to  march  out  with  drums  bftat- 
ing  and  colors  flying  —  their  arms  and  colors  then  to  be 
delivered  into  the  custody  of  PeppereU  and  Warren,  until 
the  return  of  the  prisoners  to  their  own  country,  when 
they  were  to  be  returned  to  them,   i 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  Colonel 
Bradstreet,  with  a  detachment  of  troops  took  possession  of 
the  town  and  its  defences,  the  strength  and  magnitude  of 
which,  and  the  resources  yet  remaining  to  the  French,  had 
they  persisted  in  the  defence,  astonished  the  victors,  who 
saw  at  once  that  policy  had  stepped  in  very  opportunely  to 
aid  their  own  bravery  in  the  reduction  of  works  so  formid- 
able, yet  the  siege  had  been  powerfully  directed,  as  the 
reader  must  have  seen  by  the  preceding  details,  to  which 
many  facts  and  circumstances  might  be  added.*         ,  , 

1  On  entering  the  town  PeppereU  wrote  to  Shieley —  "Such  ruins  were 
never  seen  before,  which  however,  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  as  we  gave  the 
town  about  nine  thousand  oannon  balls  and  six  hundred  bombs  before  they 
surrendered,  which  sorely  distressed  them,  particularly  the  day  before  they 
sent  out  their  flag  of  truce,  when  we  kept  up  such  a  constant  fire  on  the 
town  from  our  batteries,  that  the  enemy  could  not  sh6w  their  heads,  nor 
•tir  firom  their  covered  ways.    Our  battery  near  the  light-hoose  played  on 


LTFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BARt. 


147 


The  time  of  the  capitulation  was  exceedingly  opportune  chap. 
for  the  besiegers  in  various  respects  yet  unmentioned.  >-v-' 
Two  days  after  it  took  place,  information  was  received  by  ^'**' 
General  Pepperell  that  a  body  of  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred Indiana  were  hovering  within  a  few  miles  of  his 
camp.  The  capitulation  of  the  fortress  was  doubtless  a 
signal  for  their  instant  dispersion  among  their  own  deep 
forests.  The  weather,  moreover,  which  had  been  remark- 
ably favorable  to  the  objects  of  the  besiegers,  for  that 
climate,  now  suddenly  changed,  and  a  cold  and  driving 
storm  of  rain  set  in,  which  continued  ton  days,  and  which, 
but  for  the  shelter  afforded  the  enemy  in  the  town,  would 
have  thinned  its  ranks  to  a  frightful  degree  by  sickness  — 
the  disorders  usual  among  those  not  accustomed  to  camp 
duty,  or  to  sleeping  upon  the  earth,  having  already  made 
their  appearance  among  the  soldiers. 

Reintbrcements  from  Boston,  for  which  Pepperell  had 
been  urgently  writing  to  Governor  Shirley,  arrived  soon 
after  the  capitulation, — as  also  did  the  Rhode  Island  levies, 
after  a  protracted  voyage, — together  with  supplies  of  pro- 
visions. These  and  other  stores,  were  augmented  by  fur- 
ther captures  from  the  enemy, — several  rich  prizes  having 
been  decoyed  into  the  harbor  after  the  fall  of  the  town,  by 
the  artifice  of  keeping  the  French  flag  flying  upon  the 
ramparts.  Among  these  were  two  Indiamen,  and  on© 
South-sea  ship,  estimated,  in  all,  at  six  hundred  thousand 
pounds.^     A  dispute  arose  between  the  land  forces  and  the 

the  island  battery  with  our  cannon  and  large  mortars  ro  that  they  were 
ready  to  run  into  the  sea  for  shelter,  as  some  of  them  actually  did." 

Still  in  the  same  dispatch  notwithstanding  these  severe  operations,  Pep- 
perell says :  we  have  not  lost  above  one  hundred  men  by  the  enemy  in  this 
vast  enterprise,  including  the  disaster  at  the  Island  battery."  This  is  in 
contradiction  of  his  dispatch  giving  an  account  of  that  island  disaster,  in 
which  he  stated  the  loss  by  the  enemy  at  one  hundred  and  eighty-nine, 
exclusive  of  those  who  were  drowned  in  attempting  to  land  from  the  boats. 

'  On  the  eighteenth  of  July,  a  large  schooner  from  Quebec,  laden  with  flour 
and  other  provisions  was  brought  into  L-^.uishurg  by  one  of  the  colonial  cruis- 
ers. On  the  twenty- second,  tbeChnrmante,  a  B'rench  East  India  ship  of  about 
fi  »6  or  six  hundred  tons,  twenty-eight  guns  a;id  ninety-nine  men,  surrendered 


%4» 


I^IFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


(mr.  uftval,  as  to  the  distribution  of  the  prize  money  arising 

wvw&om  these  captures,  the  former  under  the  circumstances 

174*.  of  the  case,  claiming  an  equal  proportion  with  the  latter. 

But  the  booty  went  to  the  seamen, —  to  the  strong  and 

general  dissatisfaction  by  the  soldiers. 

The  Mermaid,  Captain  Montague,  was  dispatched  to 
England  with  the  tidings,  bearing  official  advices  from 
both  commanders,  enclosing  the  articles  of  capitulation. 
These  dispatches  were  received  by  the  ministry  on  the 
twentieth  of  July,  and  gazetted,  but  in  substance  only, 
on  the  twenty-third.  It  has  been  justly  said,  that  the 
news  of  this  important  victory  filled  America  with  joy,  and 
Europe  with  astonishment.  The  colonists,  for  the  first 
time,  began  to  feel  the  might  that  slumbered  in  their  own 
strong  arms,  while  the  parent  country  gave  no  uuequive- 
cal  evidence  of  jealousy  at  the  development  of  so  much  en- 
ergy and  power.  The  letter  of  Pepperell,  giving  an  ac- 
count of  the  operations  under  his  own  command,  was  not 
allowed  to  transpire  ;  but  the  publication  of  the  general 
&ct8  caused  great  rejoicing  among  the  people.  A  court 
of  evidence  was  immediately  convened,  and  an  address  of 
oongratulation  for  the  success  of  his  Majesty's  arms  was 
voted,  though  in  rather  subdued  and  formal  terms.  But 
as  the  news  of  the  capitulation  spread  through  the  colo- 
nies, the  feelings  of  the  people  broke  forth  in  the  most 
lively  rejoicings.  Boston  was  illuminated  even  to  the 
most  obscure  bye-lane  and  alley ;  and  the  night  was  sig- 
nalized by  flre-works,  bou-fires  and  all  the  external  tokens 

to  the  Princess  Mary  and  Canterbury,  without  oppoBition.  The  Charmante. 
had  been  detoried  in  the  offing,  and  the  ships  which  took  her,  were  seat  out 
ttom  here.  This  was  as  Taluable  a  prize  as  had  been  taken  during  the  war. 
On  the  first  of  August,  the  Chester  and  Mermaid  brought  in  the  Heron,  a 
French  East  Indiaman,  from  Bengal, — "pre*iy  rich," — as  Sir  Peter  wrote 
to  the  admiralty.  On  the  second  of  August,  the  Sunderland  and  Chester 
brought  in  a  French  ship  called  the  Notre  Dame  de  la  Deliverance,  of  thirty- 
two  guna  and  about  dixty  men,  from  Lima, — having  on  board,  in  gold  and 
silver,  upward  of  tluree  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling,  with  a  cargo  of 
eMos,  Peravian  wool,  and  Jesuit's  bark. — Ditpatcket  of  Sir  Peter  Warren  to 
th«AdmiraUv. 


LIFB  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSOK,  BA&¥. 


149 


of  joy.  A  day  of  solemn  thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God,  omap. 
was  likewise  set  apart  by  the  civil  authorities,  which  was  w^ 
observed  throughout  the  colony.  Nor  was  a  thanksgiving  1745. 
festival  ever  more  religiously  kept  in  Massachusetts.^ 

But  notwithstanding  the  studied  design,  so  rarely  man- 
ifested in  England,  to  attribute  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise, and  the  glory  of  the  achievement,  mainly  to  War- 
ren, there  was  no  reluctance  evinced  in  bestowing  de- 
served honors  upon  the  provincials.  Pepperell  was  cre- 
ated a  baronet,  and  commissioned  a  colonel  in  his  majes- 
ty's forces,  with  permission  to  raise  a  regiment  in  the 
colonies,  to  be  placed  upon  the  regular  establishment,  in 
the  pay  of  the  crown.  Govenor  Shirley  was  also  appoint- 
ed to  a  colonelcy,  and  confirmed  in  his  government  of 
Massachusetts,  as  also  was  Benning  Wentworth,  in  that  of 
New  Hampshire.  Commodore  Warren  was  likewise  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  rear  admiral  of  the  blue.' 

1  Letters  to  Pepperell  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Chauncej.  After  the  sui-render 
of  the  fortress,  a  grand  entertainment  was  given  on  shore  by  Gen.  Pepperell, 
as  well  to  celebrate  the  event,  as  to  honor  Commodore  Warren  and  the  vari- 
ous officers  of  the  navy  who  had  coAperated  in  the  capture.  There  was  a 
circumstance  attending  this  dinner,  connected  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moody, 
Fepperell's  worthy  chaplain,  which  has  been  preserved  as  being-at  once 
grave  and  amusing.  Mr.  Moody  was  somewhat  remarkable  for  his  prolixity 
in  saying  grace,  before  meat,  and  his  friends  were  particularly  anxious  on 
this  occasion  that  he  should  not  fatigue  their  guests,  and  perhaps  disquiet 
them  by  the  length  of  this  preliminary  exercise.  Yet  his  temper  was  so 
irritable  that  none  of  them  ver.tured  the  hint,  "  be  short."  The  chaplain, 
however,  catching  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  very  agreeably  disappointed 
those  who  knew  him  by  preparing  the  service  in  the  following  words : 
•'  Qood  Lord,  we  have  so  much  to  thank  thee  for,  that  time  would  be  infi- 
nitely too  short  to  do  it  in.  We  must  therefore  leave  it  for  the  work  of 
Eternity.  Bless  our  board  and  fellowship  on  this  joyful  occasion,  for  the 
sake  of  Christ  our  Lord.    Amen." 

'  Pepperell  was  gazetted  as  a  baronet  on  the  tenth  of  August, — less  than 
a  month  after  the  news  of  the  capitulation.  Commodore  Warren  was  ga- 
zetted as  a  rear-admiral  of  the  blue  on  the  same  day.  It  it  stated  by  Bel- 
knap, that  Warren  was  also  created  a  baronet  as  a  reward  for  the  same 
achievement,  and  the  statement  is  repeated  by  Dunlop,  and  perhaps  by  other 
American  writers.  But  the  fact  is  not  so.  Warren  was  never  a  baronet. 
It  is  true  that  the  knighthood  of  the  Bath  was  conferred  upon  him ;  but 


.    I 


'~«»>«li».<. 


160 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


!    \ 


CHAP.  Yet  notwithstanding  these  honorable  rewards  to  the 
w^-^  master  spirits  of  the  expedition,  there  was  unquestionably 
1746.  a  most  discreditable  reluctance  on  the  part  of  the  parent 
government  to  reimburse  the  colonies  for  the  heavy  expen- 
ses, which,  without  counting  the  cost  to  themselves,  they 
had  so  nobly  and  so  generously  incurred ;  and  by  reasou 
of  which,  conquest  was  achieved,  so  important,  accoi-ding 
to  the  testimony  of  their  own  historians,  "  as  to  prove  an 
equivalent,  at  the  peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  for  all  the  suc- 
cess of  the  French  upon  the  continent  of  Europe."  The 
claim  was  prosecuted  several  years  before  parliament  could 
be  brought  to  sanction  an  appropriation  to  cover  it.  The 
grant  was  however  obtained  in  the  year  1749,  amounting 
to  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  thousand  six 
hundred  and  forty-nine  pounds  sterling.  It  was  received 
at  Boston  the  same  year,  and  equitably  divided  among  the 
colonies  which  had  incurred  the  expenditure.^ 

this  was  not  done  until  in  the  year  1747  ;  the  order  being  then  conferrvd  ns 
a  reward  for  his  conduct  under  Vice  Admiral  Anson,  in  the  great  naval  en- 
gagement with  the  French  fleet  off  Cape  Finisterre,  which  was  fought  May 
third,  of  that  year.  Warren  commanded  on  that  occasion  the  Devonshire 
of  sixty-six  guns,  and  (with  the  Yarmouth)  was  first  in  the  engagement.  In 
July  of  the  same  year,  Warren  was  gazetted  admir&l  of  the  white,  as  also, 
on  the  same  day,  Mr.  Clintoti,  then  governor  of  the  colony  of  New  York, 
Sir  Peter  Warren  and  the  unfortunate  admiral  Byng  appear  to  have  been 
fellow  officers,  considered  at  that  time  of  high  and  equal  merit.  On  the  same 
day  that  Warren  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  rear  admiral  of  the  blue, 
Byng  was  promoted  to  the  same  rank,  and  Warren  and  Byng  were  on  iLe 
same  day  farther  promoted  to  the  white.  Yet  how  widely  different  the  end 
of  their  career !  Ten  years  afterward,  poor  Byng,  as  brave,  doubtless,  an 
Warren,  but  in  a  single  instance  unfortunate,  was  sacrificed  by  ministers  n 
yiotim  to  popular  clamor,  and  to  screen  their  own  imbecility.  The  judicial 
murder  of  Byng  is  one  of  the  foulest  blots  upon  England's  escutcheon  ! 

'The  exact  sum  was  £183,649  25«.  l^d.  The  agent  who  prosecuted  the 
claim,  encountering  difficulties  at  every  i  j>,  was  William  BoUan,  whose 
account  of  the  negotiation  la  presented  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Mnes. 
His.  Coll.  The  money  was  told  in  specie.  On  its  arrival  in  Boston  it  ^vas 
immediately  conveyed  to  the  treasury-house.  It  consisted,  according  to  n 
note  in  Holmes,  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  chests  (three  thousand  pieces  of 
eight,  on  an  average,  in  each  chest)  of  milled  peices  of  eight,  and  one  liiii - 
dred  casks  of  coined  copper.     There  were  seventeen  cart  and  truck  loads  of 


the  i^ilver,  aiid  %bout  ten  truck  loads 


rtf    nnr\rtai* 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOUNSON,   BART. 


161 


Jealousy  of  the  rapidly  increasing  strength  of  the  colo-  chap. 
nies,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  was  beyond  all  doubt  the  w^w 
moving  cause  of  the  unworthy  attempts  made  in  England,  ^^^'*- 
to  appropriate  all  the  glory  of  the  conquest  to  Commo- 
dore Warren.  Mr.  Bollan,  the  agent  for  prosecuting  the 
claims  of  Massachusetts,  found  on  his  arrival  in  London, 
;hat  in  the  first  address  of  congratulation  to  his  majesty 
on  the  event  which  he  saw,  it  was  spoken  of  as  "a  naval 
Buccess" — not  the  least  mention  being  made  of  the  land 
forces  employed  on  the  occasion.  But  although  these  at- 
tempts to  present  it  in  the  ligM  of  "a  naval  acquisition," 
were  not  without  their  influence,  the  colonists  were  not 
friendless,  and  the  claims  of  the  provincial  troops  were 
ably  asserted.  All  credit  was  denied  to  the  ministry  in 
regard  to  th<^.  achievement,  by  some  of  the  most  influen- 
tial journals.  "  Our  ministers,"  said  one  of  these,  "have 
no  more  merit  in  it  than  causing  the  park  and  tower  guns 
to  fire."  ^  Again  says  the  same  standard  periodical,  on 
the  appointment  of  Charles  Knowles  as  governor  of  Cape 
Breton,  and  commander  of  the  fleet  on  that  station: 
"it  is  hoped  that  Generf'l  Pepperell,  the  gallant  commander 
of  those  brave  forces  who  took  it,  will  be  provided  for  in 
some  other  way."  -     t    .         .    .,.   '.,.,. 

In  the  spring  of  1775, — ^thirty  years  afterward, — these 
attempts  to  detract  from  the  just  fame  of  the  provincials, 
were  revived  by  the  earl  of  Sandwich,  then  first  lord  of 
the  admiralty,  in  a  speech  before  the  house  of  lords.  His 
lordship  professed  to  speak  upon  no  less  ai:thority  than 
that  of  Admiral  Warren,  who,  as  the  m  blister  asserted, 
had  pronounced  the  Americans  engaged  in  the  siege  of 
Louisburg,  as  the  greatest  cowards  and  poltroons  whom  he 
had  ever  seen.  His  lordship  also  made  Warren  to  say, 
that  the  fighting  at  Louisburg  had  been  done  by  the  ma- 
rines of  the  ship's  crews,  landed  bv  the  commodore  for 
that  purpose ;  while  at  the  same  tii  -    he  was compelle'l  I-. 

I'lhe  Gentleman' »  Magazine — the  beet  historical  record  antecedent  to 
Dodsley's  Annual  Kegister,  the  publication  of  which  was  begun  in  1768. 


*-■ 


-A 


t:    ^,. 


■u  :">&. 


I     'ik,*  BmSam''  j: 


152 


LIFE  or  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


4  I 


CHAP,  praise  the  Americans  for  their  endeavors  to  keep  thorn 
w.,^  from  running  away.  It  should  be  remembered,  however 
1745.  hat  this  speech  was  delivered  at  the  breaking  out  of  the, 
war  of  the  American  revolution,  wUsin  it  wa>4  the  policy 
of  thfc  parent  country  to  decry  lao  olwractei*  of  iho.  colo- 
nies, rhe  minister,  moreover  fcjokt  o,t  randon}  o(  con- 
vorsatiiuiB  merely  held  witl  one, -v bo  h^}  Vf^^  dcu  i  ore 
than  tliirty  yeai3.  He  vas  howover,  iminedisiti.r^  and 
sharply  unswered  th;  ;iugh  the  Loudtju  press,  by  a  man  who 
had  been  ouii^aged  iu  <];o  seige, — who  had  known  Sir  Peter 
Warren,  uud  convtrniMi  with  him upoi;  the  subje  t.^  This 
writer  provcvJ  that  Sir  Peter  i  odd  never  havt  made  any 
8Lw.'h  statements  to  his  loitkilp,  nov  to  r  '  •  one  else — in 
tbt  first  pjnce,  from  the  perfect  haiit v'ny  that  existed  be- 
tween tlv*  laud  and  the  sea  officers;  secondly,  because  of 
tUo  very  impossibility  that  the  story  could  be  true, — sinpe 
the  commodore  had  no  power  to  command  upon  land,  and 
could  not  have  interfered  with  the  authority  of  General 
Pcppcrell  • — and  for  the  yet  move  conclusive  reason,  that 

THE  COMMODORE  NEVER  LANDED  A  PARTY,  EITHER  OF  MARINES 
OR  SEAMEN,  i^lTRIKa  THE  SEIGE. 

How  far  Admiral  Warren  himself  participated  in  those 
eftbrts  at  detraction,  or  whether  in  reality  he  engaged 
iu  them  at  all,  is  now  a  point  of  difficult  determination. 
It  is  affirmed  by  one  highly  respectable  American  authori- 
ty,' that  "  Warren  deposed  on  oath,  in  the  high  court  of 
admiriility,  seventeen  months  after  the  event,  that  with 
the  assistance  of  his  majesty's  ships,  &c.,  he,  this  deponent 
did  Bubdue  the  whole  island  of  Cape  Breton."  This 
declaration  unexplained,  presentt  eed  a  most  arrogant 
claim ;  but  it  ill  accords  with  the  dtjclarations  o^  the  com- 

1  Letter  to  the  earl  of  Sandwich  hy  "an  old  English  merchant." — Mat», 
ffiit.  Coll.,  Yo\.t.  ■'■■■■  - 

*  Wahh's  Appeal  Arom  the  Judgments  of  Qreat  Britain,  respecting  the  Unit- 
ed States  of  America,  in  which  the  ano'vr  jitcs  the  Registry  of  the  High 
Court  of  Admiralty  of  England,  Sept.  y-ninth,  1747.     I  have  not  oton 

this  authority  to  Judge  of  the  extent  ofxcumstances  under  which  the 

leposition  was  made. 


"^ImS^-' 


LlfB  OF  BIR  WILLUH  JOHNSON,   BART. 


16« 


i 


irodore's  letters  written  during  the  seige.  In  one  of  these  chap. 
addresses  to  Governor  Clinton  in  New  York,  and  dated  off  v—^w 
Louisburg,  May  twelve,  1745,  the  commodore  says :  ^7**' 

"  Sir,  I  take  the  liberty  to  acquaint  you  that  the  New 
England  troops  have  taken  possession  of  one  of  the  ene- 
my's most  considerable  batteries  at  Louisburg,  which  gives 
them  the  command  of  the  harbor ;  and  they  have  now 
carried  their  approaches  so  near  by  land,  that  the  city  is 
blockaded,  and  its  communication  by  land  and  sea  entirely 
cut  off,  and  that  before  the  arrival  of  any  ship  to  their  reUef 
from  any  part  of  the  worlds  except  one  stnaU  one  laden  with  mm 
and  brandy."  ^ 

Indignation  at  British  arrogance  upon  the  subject  of  this 
expedition,  however,  and  a  pretty  general  conviction  that 
Warren  was  less  magnanimous  than  he  should  have  been, 
have  on  the  other  hand  conspired  to  induce  certain  Ameri> 
can  historians  to  derogate  from  the  si^bstantial  merits  of 
this  distinguished  naval  commander,  in  regard  to  that  great 
achievement,  whose  conduct,  within  his  own  proper  sphere 
of  action,  and  beyond  which  he  evinced  no  desire  to  go, 
was  without  fear,  and  without  reproach.  Owing  to  the  fogs, 
the  ice,  and  the  storms,  the  difficulties  of  maintaining  a 
rigid  blockade  were  exceedingly  difficult  and  hazardous. 
Yet  never  was  a  blockade  more  effectively  maintained,  and 
never  did  a  naval  commander  evince  a  stronger  desire  to 
encounter  yet  greater  hazards  for  the  honor  of  the  service, 
and  of  his  royal  master.  It  is  indeed  possible,  that  feel- 
ings of  jealousy  may  have  been  growing  like  hidden  fires 
in  the  bosoms  of  both  commanders,  even  in  the  hour  of 
triumph.  A  nd  if  such  were  the  fact,  there  were  doubtless, 
ill-disposed  people  at  hand  to  fan  the  sparks  into  a  flame. 
Yet  there  is  nothing  in  the  conduct  or  correspondence  of 
the  two  commanders,  during  the  seige^  going  to  warrant 
any  aucL  ct^- elusion,  On  the  contrary,  there  was  at  all 
a  (^onerous  cooperation  between  theifli.    Qftce,  in^ 


.jiv^e, 


>  This  letter  ia  i.  {reserved  in  the  journals  of  the  general  af  semh^  of  Nf  ^ 
fork. 

20 


i 

""""■■' f 

• 

i|f 

1^ 


LIPB  OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


li^ 


oHAp.  deed, — ^biit  not  until  the  day  after  the  capitulation, — there 
s-v— 'Was  an  imputation  of  jealousy  thrown  out  ;  but  it  is  no 
1745.  jnore  than  justice  to  admit  that  it  came  from  Warren  him- 
self, who  thought  he  had  reason  for  the  impeachment 
against  Pepperell.  "  I  am  sorry,"  said  he,  "  to  find  by  your 
letter  a  kind  of  jealousy  which  I  thought  you  would  never 
conceive  of  rao."  The  residue  of  this  letter  is  earnest, 
but  relates  to  some  unspecified  complaint  of  Duchambon, 
who  seemed  to  apprehe^d  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  Pep- 
perell not  to  observe  with  suflicient  exactness,  the  terms 
of  the  capitulation.  But  the  real  or  afiected  cause  of  the 
French  governor's  complaint  is  not  given,  nor  does  the  letter 
seem  to  have  been  preserved  in  which  Warren  thought  he 
discovered  the  shadow  of  the  green-eyed  monster. 

There  were,  however,  sharp  j  '^alousies  entertained  in  an- 
other quarter.  The  people  of  Boston  were  alive  to  the  hopor 
of  their  merchant-general ;  and  having  heard  that  the 
keys  of  Louisburg  had  been  delivered,  not  to  him,  but  to 
the  commodore,  were  not  a  little  incensed  thereat.*  Still 
greater  was  their  displeasure  on  hearing  that  Warren  had 
assumed  the  government  of  the  conquered  province— it 
being  feared  "  that  New  England,  from  a  sea-officer,  would 
not  have  its  full  share  of  the  glory  of  the  conquest."' 
Hence  it  was  requested  by  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts 
that  Governor  Shirley  should  repair  in  person  to  Louisburg, 
which  port  it  had  been  determined  to  repair  and  retain,  t« 
look  after  the  interests  and  the  giory  of  those  who  had  ef- 
fected the  conquest.  Yet  the  highest  praise  was  at  the 
same  time,  and  on  all  hands  awarded  to  Warren.  Dr. 
Chauncey  himself,  in  the  letter  to  his  friend  Pepperell,  im- 
mediately prior  to  the  one  just  cited,  says : — "I  have  no 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  brave  Mr.  Warren,  but  I 

^If  I  understand  Hutchinson  correctly,  this  statement  was  inaccurate 
><It  wtM  made  a  question, "  says  their  candid  historian,  "  whether  the  keys 
of  the  town  should  be  delivered  to  the  commodore  or  to  the  general,  and 
whether  the  sea  or  land  forces  should  first  enter.  The  officers  of  the  army 
they  B»y  preTftilci. " 
*  Letter  ttosa  the  Rev.  Doctor  Chauncey  to  Sir  ffilliftm  Pepperell. 


LIFE  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BABT. 


m 


sincerely  love  and  honor  him.  Had  his  miyesty  given  us  chap. 
the  choice  of  a  sea-commander  on  this  occasion,  we  should  wy«/ 
have  selected  that  gentleman  from  all  the  rest,  and  desired  ^^^' 
that  he  might  bo  sent."  But  other  jealousies  also  existed, 
as  in  the  case  of  Colonel  Bradstreet,  and  even  of  Shirley 
himself,  against  whom  Pepperell  was  admonished  before 
he  sailed  upon  the  expedition,  "  as  a  snake  in  the  grass." 
These  things  only  prove  that  human  frailty  exists  among 
the  best  of  men  in  every  age.  A  careful  study  of  the  hisi 
tory  of  this  memoral)le  expedition  will  show  any  candid 
enquirer  for  the  truth  that  Warren  behaved  throughout  like 
a  brave  and  skillful  officer,  and  a  patriotic  and  honorable 
man.  Admitting,  nevertheless,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
that  in  the  course  of  events  iuimediately  after  the  first  flush 
of  victory  had  passed  away,  unpleasant  feelings  had  arisen 
between  the  two  distinguished  commanders,  they  must  have 
been  very  short-lived,  hIuoc  the  two  heroes  afterward  lived 
in  bonds  of  friendship  that  were  dissolved  only  by  death. 
Sir  Peter  Warren  passed  the  summer  at  Louisburg,  during 
which  time  many  valuable  captures  were  made  by  his 
ships,'  and  Sir  William  Pepperell  remained  there  i.  whole 
year  after  the  conquest.  He  afterward  visited  England  at 
the  express  invitation  of  Warren,  by  whom  he  was  receiv.;-! 
with  honor,  and  treated  with  marked  distinction.  He  ■w  us 
received  with  great  kindness  by  the  royal  family,  and  the 
city  of  London  presented  him  with  a  silver  table.  In  re- 
gard to  the  joint  conquest,  there  ceitainly  was  little  room 
for  jealousy,  for  there  was  glory  enough  for  all. 

It  was  believed,  that  the  capture  of  Louisburg,  prevented 
the  conquest  of  Nova  Scotia  by  che  French.  Duvivier, 
who  had  embarked  for  France  in  1744  to  solicit  nn  arma- 
ment for  the  invasion  of  that  province,  sailed  wi  .  ^c.en 
ships   of  war  and  a  large  body  of  troops,  in  July,  1745. 

1 A  Ms.  letter  from  John  Catherwood,  then  an  officer  in  the  hcmsehold  of 
Governor  CMnton,  to  "  Mr.  William  Johnson,  dated  Sept.  5th,  1845,  aaya : 
"  This  commodore  has  had  great  success  in  captures  at  Louisburg.  His  share, 
'     east,  wiU  be  above  £20,000. 


16^  Ltiri  OF  SIR  william  yoHirsoN,  bart. 

oluh  HiB  orders  Were  to  touch  atLotiisburg,  and  proceed  thence 

"-v-'in  the  execntion  of  his  plan.    Hearing  at  sea  of  the  fall  of 

^'^*^'  that  place,  and  of  the  strength  of  the  British  squadron  eta- 

tior   •'.  gI'^p,  he  relinquished  the  (^ntorprise  against  Kova 

f^coiiu  .    a  returned  to  Europe. 

Tiie  daring  and  enthusiastic  Vaughan,  however,  appears 
to  have  been  forgotten  in  the  hour  of  triumph,  lie  re- 
paireid  to  London  shortly  afterward,  to  prefer  his  claims  to 
thd  crown,  but  "was  seized  with  the  small-pox  in  that  capi- 


tal, of  which  ^«MM»o  iic  diel. 


fiir  I   »fr<i  i^  •'  iMi'»iii  »  Mn 


ir\n  /  ^  ■  •  'j;i  ^ 


.,  .  .>, ,  ^,-  ,>.,...  ,i   ,  .-1  /r  >.-iM  ('  Nrir  •■'i(in«^  i ■'•:;.■, 


!      '(    ••^^.^,      '.-i'.;     V  •;:-('<ii'''    .-^i  ."iv  ■"    •  "  u:  ,;'■( 

I.     '  ,/    !i           ,i  •    ;.    ,:            ■•■■    <f  ■•t  •".,     .'*  ^i;?        ,  ■/'     ;;  i'^ , 

•   ^:iVfl    J     '•     'l  ■■■  .'        -•.  ''  :'"l^     .1  i  ,  '^1   I  ,     I'     .  '  ;    'Ml, 

'  '«•  •".•■!•:».''     .^  ;•■     .>    /■-!  .,•,';■!'".  ''  '■     •:  !*'•■  '    ■' ■ 

•:,,.<      ■  ,1.         .A.       ■     .::,     •:•       ■■    ('...:      ;i'i'-'-  !■■■,•'!-.  ... 

■i(< ,    ■   :<;     .      'HI.;!    !  ..  r.  i    "M  '      'i   ■   ■' m'-  ,  ,  i,       ,/•■■;     ,!;,,.         •  ■ 

•  .■•     M !           11                  '  ;  ■        .   •    '    i '       •    • '      .'        I  I-      ,   ,    '  I  •  ■ !  .1     '1 


.1  •    I' 


)     /       ','',.    ,1      K  . ,' 


..  ..A 


V  '' 


■Vj   >'  '! 


.  '■><.' 


■  '  »♦,  K>j,i,r 


!•!'.  xr, 


P.^.l- 


1t;i}       >l»>r<-U    M-i'.tf?-  »(.    tMr„(,,,.»f.-      Iff)    1r    *.'V!^m    "■?'  .<MM 

')/('i«f«**"i''"lM''' '»«U  lit  .   tij.j  ii  •  <u'  III'  »  .•'.<r-i,>l  .  'r'>l  ;f'';t»f>  ''  -f  -.- 
hn»/    iUtM.'J"i«   Ii     »H<     liv    ,/>'n''«-'.    .:i!--«v<    Milt     l(»    ,;Iv-)il    ''*'' 

,;T  '  •  jr'(.n'<i    ••  tj  ;    '    ,7' V',    lf(v>'n 'r 

.v'.-air.il»*(  '••'<«••''.  ^ -CT.p  m -rj  Tj     JY     '/li'ilt  'lo 'i'> '■'•-'■in 

iKiijV!  .ir^jri'il   •>.♦■'  It  •   t  '.(Kr.    '!{;  ■^f;/ 

frMHVMfJT     .l.,il.>'.'.  ,-■  1746—1746.    <)  ..-j,-,  .i;    ,n  ,,(j,., 

Recnrring  again  to  the  progress  of  affairs  in  New  York :  en  ap. 
Mr.  Clinton,  the  governor,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  dis-  »_v— ' 
solved  the  second  assembly  of  his  administration,  on  the  ^^^'^• 
fourteenth  of  May,  in  high  displeasure,  because,  as  he 
alleged  in  part,  of  the  personal  disrespect  with  which  he  had 
been  treated  by  that  body ;  but  chiefly  because  of  its  inatten- 
tion to  the  defenses  of  the  colony,  and  its  neglect  df  his 
recommendations  a  cooperation  with  the  Now  England 
colonies  in  the  expediticm  against  Cape  Breton.  Orders  for 
such  coopewition  having  been  received  from  his  m^esty's 
ministers,  the  governor  held  that  obedience  was  an  impera- 
tive duty.  But  the  people  seem  not  to  have  sympathized 
with  the  feelings  of  the  governor;  and  the  uncomply- 
1.5  members,  with  few  exceptions,  and  with  singular 
unanimity,  wete  returned  to  the  new  assembly,  which  met 
on  the  twenty-fifth  6f  iTtme,  and  elected  Mr.  David  dones, 
of  Queens  county,  ia  gidntleman  distinguished  for  his  rigid 
views  of  economy  in  public  affiiirs,  as  their  speaker.  The 
news  of  the  fall  of  Louisburg  had  not  reached  New  York 
at  th  e  time  of  the  meeting.  Much  of  the  governor's  speech, 
therefore,  after  preissing  again  upon  the  attention  of  the  as- 
sembly the  importance  of  placing  the  colony  in  such  a  pos- 
ture of  defence,  as  the  crisis  demanded,  wa?  vlevoted  to  the 
Louisburg  expedition.  The  governor  had  iiideed  him- 
self only  heard  of  the  earlier  operations  of  tlie  ruege  ;  the 
capture  of  the  first  great  battery  upon  land,  and  of  the 
Vigilante  by  sea,  and  the  latest  dispatches  thence  con- 
sisted of  urg  at  appeals  from  Governor  Shirley  and  Com- 
modore Warren,  fortroops,  seamen,  and  provisions.  These 
solicitations  were  in  turn  urged  upon  the  assembly  with  all 


II 


168 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNBON,    BAivi. 


CHAP,  the  force  at  the  commnn<l  of  the 


1746. 


JMD 


executive  mind.  But 
although  few  changeH  had  taken  place  in  the  iH'preaentativo 
hody  of  the  general  aflsembly,  yet  the  diflsolution  hud 
wrought  a  wonderful  improvement  in  its  temper.  The 
answer  of  the  council,  drawn  by  (Jhief  Justice  DeLancey, 
was  an  echo  to  the  Bpeech,  and  that  of  the  house,  report- 
ed hy  Mr.  TFonry  Crugor,  was  equally  cordial.  The  mom- 
bcrs  ditclared  their  full  porsuasion  that  tlie  governor  had 
'_  the  service  of  the  crown  and  the  welfare  of  the  colony  8iu- 
( '!  cerely  at  heart,  and  tliey  were  equally  explicit  in  avowing 
their  own  readiness  to  consider  with  the  greatest  attention, 
the  several  particulars  recommended  for  their  action.  Nov 
was  their  conduct  inconsistent  with  their  professions.  A 
bill  WHS  passed  with  the  utmost  promptitude,  appropriating 
five  thousand  pounds  toward  the  Louisburg  expedition ; 
another  for  the  necessary  fortifications  both  upon  the  wijkl 
inland  frontier  and  the  defence  of  the  seaboard ;  and  yet 
another  for  completing  the  governor's  house.  These  uttn 
having  been  passed  with  great  harmony,  the  assembly  ad- 
journed from  tlie  sixth  of  July  to  the  thirteenth  of  August,— 
during  whi'h  interval  of  time  the  glorious  news  of  the  full 
of  Louisburg  was  received, — an  achievement  the  most  im- 
portant by  far  of  the  war,  and  "  which  proved  an  equiva- 
lent at  the  treaty  of  Aiz-la-Chapelle,  for  all  the  BUCccBses 
of  the  French  upon  the  continent  of  Europe." ;/,  >,  *,.;.( 

The  Indian  relations  of  the  colony  were  yet  again  becom- 
ing critical.  Notwithstanding  the  eitbrts  of  the  preceeding 
year,  both  at  Albany  and  in  the  grand  council  at  Laiutan- 
ter,  to  keep  this  jealous  and  fickle  people  true  to  their 
covenants  with  the  English ;  and  notwithBtunding  their 
repeated  pledges  of  fidelity,  the  Six  Nations  were  again 
wavering ;  and  the  misgivings  of  the  govenor  as  to  their 
designs,  were  communicated  by  a  message  to  the  houHO, 
on  the  twentieth  of  August,  in  which  an  appropriation  was 
asked  to  enable  his  excellency  to  meet  them  in  council, 
and  if  possible,  ascertain  the  grounds  of  their  discontents. 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOIINKUN,    DART. 


169 


Tlio  governor  also  ainioimeod  that  some  of  the  Canailinn  ohap. 

ItuliunH  had  broken  the  treaty  of  neutrality  existing  be-. ,^ 

tween  them  aiid  the  Hix  NationB,  b^  comnjittinghoBtilitieB  i^^*^- 
against  some  of  the  frontier  Hettlemonts  of  Now  Kngland, 
where  several  of  the  inhabitautd  had  been  barbarously 
murdered.  In  the  apprehension  that  those  Indians  might 
be  meditating  an  intlictiou  of  the  like  cruelties  upon  the 
frontiers  of  New  York,  it  was  necessary  tliat  duo  measures 
of  precaution  should  be  adopted. 

There  hud  been  indications  of  dissatisfaction  among  the 
8ix  Nations  for  several  mouths  piHior  to  this  message.  Li- 
deed  the  governor  had  referred  to  their ''  disquietudes  "  and 
"commotions"  in  his  speech  dissolving  the  assembly  in 
May ;  and  it  was  well  ascertained  tliat  during  the  preced- 
ing winter,  emissaries  from  the  French  had  been  among 
them,  while  they  in  turn  had  sent  several  messengers  with 
belts  into  Canada.  Information  to  this  effect  was  elicited 
on  the  examination  of  John  Henry  Lydius,  of  Albany, 
before  the  executive  council  in  New  York,  on  the  sixth  of 
April.  Lydius  was  a  man  of  extensive  acquaintance  with 
the  Indians,  having  resided  much  among  them, — in  Canada 
several  years, — and  again  at  Lake  George.  He  stated  that 
he  had  recently  seen  a  French  Indian,  from  whom  he  had 
received  information  touching  the  designs  of  the  enemy 
against  Oswego,  and  also  in  regard  to  the  feelings  of  the 
Six  Nations.  The  Mohawks  were  very  uneasy,  and  had 
sent  several  chiefs  to  confer  with  the  Indians  in  Canada. 
The  cause  of  this  uneasiness  was  a  suspicion  awakened  in 
their  bosoms  by  evil  disposed  persons,  that  the  English 
were  preparing  at  no  distant  day  entirely  to  destroy  them. 
This  apprehension,  notwithstanding  its  absurdity,  was 
seriously  entertained  by  many  of  the  people,  and  even  by 
some  of  the  chiefs ;  though  the  orators  Abraham,  and 
Brant,  gave  no  credence  to  the  tale.*         .,      •  *  • 

'  Manuscript  joamals  of  the  ezeoutive  oounoil,  secretary  of  state's  office, 
Albany.  The  Brant  here  spoken  of,  was  probably  the  father  or  the  reputed 
father  of  Joseph  Braot  of  the  revolution. 


160 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP.  It  was  unfortunately  but  too  true,  at  the  time  under  con- 
s-^^w  sideration,  that  no  good  feelings  existed  between  the  Mo- 
i"45.  hawks  and  the  people  of  Albany.  At  least  the  Mohawks 
looked  upon  the  latter  with  great  bitterness, — ^having  been 
overreached  in  sonae  land  purchases,  in  which  the  Al- 
banians were  concerned.  So  they  alleged ;  and  by  avail!  ng 
themselves  of  these  prejudices,  some  evil-minded  persons 
had  to  some  extent  persuaded  the  Mohawks  that  the  Al- 
banians were  plotting  the  destruction  of  their  nation,  in  or- 
der to  possess  themselves  of  their  domain.  Rumors  were 
accordingly  circulated  among  them  from  time  to  time  to  the 
end  that  measures  for  killing  them  were  in  actual  prepara- 
tion. They  were  thus  kept  in  a  state  of  feverish  excitement 
and  suspicion  for  several  weeks.  At  length  a  runner  arrived 
in  the  Mohawk  country,  in  the  night,  with  information  that 
the  Albanians  were  then  actually  upon  the  march  agaiuBt 
them,  to  the  number  of  several  hundreds,  armed  with  mus- 
kets, and  treading  to  the  sound  of  arms  and  trumpets. 
The  poor  Indians  of  the  lower  castle,  Dyiondarogon,  fled 
in  wild  aflfright  to  their  upper  town f- -  All  was  confusion, — 
the  women  seizing  their  infants,  and  the  children  who  were 
able  to  run,  flying  in  the  utmost  consternation,  and  utter- 
ing the  dead  cry — "que!"  que!"  que!"*        'li         ;:; 

The  dissatisfaction  having  become  extensive  among  the 
confederates,  it  was  judged  expedient  to  depute  Conrad 
Woiser,  the  Pennsylvania  interpreter  for  the  Six  Nations, 
to  make  a  tour  of  friendly  observation  among  them. 
Weiser  was  a  native  of  Schoharie,  partaking  largely  of  the 
confidence  of  the  Indians ;  and  it  was  rightly  judged  that 
a  mission  by  him  to  their  several  towns  and  castles  would 
be  attended  with  happy  results.  Those  results  were 
realized.  On  the  twenty-ninth  of  July  the  missionary  re- 
turned, and  his  journal  was  laid  by  Mr.  Clinton  before  his 
council.  After  traversing  the  cantons  beyond  Onondaga, 
and  soothing  their  feelings,  he  waa  accompanied  from  the 


>  Manuscript  journals  of  the  exeoutivo  oounoil. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


161 


Great  council  fire  by  a  party  of  the  chiefs  to  Oswego,  where  chap. 
free  conferences  were  held.     The  Indians  complained  that  s-v-' 
the  English  kept  them  in  the  dark  about  the  progress  of  the  ^^*^' 
war,  dealing  out  their  news  in  generals  only,  whereas  they 
wanted  the  particulars.    They  wei-o  aware  that  the  gov- 
ernor of  New  York  was  displeased  with  their  visits  to  Canar 
da,  but  they  insisted  that  they  went  thither  only  upon 
business, — the  governor  of  Canada  knowing  very  well  that 
he  could  do  nothing  with  them  to  the  detriment  of  the 
English. 

Returning  from  Oswego  through  the  Mohawk  country^ 
Weiserwas  received  gladly  at  their  castles  and  treated  kind- 
ly. The  Indians  there  said  they  inclined  to  the  English, 
having  always  been  used  well  by  the  govpruors  of  New 
York,  Massachusetts,  and  Pennsylvania.  Put  the  people 
of  Albany  had  not  treated  them  well.  They  had  cheated 
them,  and  were  yet  trying  to  get  their  lands  and  destroy 
them.  They  likewise  accused  the  Albanians  of  being  en- 
gaged in  unlawful  commerce  with  the  enemy,  to  whom 
they  had  sold  large  quantities  of  powder.  In  regard  to  the 
visits  of  the  Mohawk  chiefs  to  the  French  in  the  winter, 
they  admitted  that  they  had  gone  thither  because  they  were 
displeased  with  the  Albanians,  and  in  order  to  let  them 
know  that  they  would  act  as  they  pleased. 

At  Dyiondarogon,  the  Indians  convened  a  council  to 
hear  Mr.  Weiser  on  the  subject  of  their  late  alarm  in  con- 
sequence of  the  rumored  invasion  from  Albany.  He  as- 
sured them  that  the  whole  story  which  had  caused  their 
panic  was  false,  and  told  them  of  the  great  surprise  of  the 
governor  on  hearing  of  such  an  occurrence,  at  a  time,  too, 
when  he  thought  the  parties  were  all  so  friendly  to  each 
other.  The  Indians,  in  reply,  admitted  that  their  alarm 
had  been  very  great ;  but,  they  said,  the  matter  had  all  been 
settled,  "  and  thrown  into  the  bottomless  pit."  The  ex- 
planations made  to  them  had  been  perfectly  satisfactory ; 
and  they  now  requested  even  that  no  inquiries  might;  ^^ 
21 


^  ;■ 


t^^n 


"~*«M4tft^ 


162 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


OHAP.  instituted  as  to  the  authors  of  the  alarm.*    But  it  will 

IV« 

.-.^  presently  appear  that  they  did  not  exactly  hold  to  this  reso- 

1746.  lution  themselves. 

At  the  same  meeting  of  the  council,  letters  were  received 
from  the  commissioners  of  Indian  affairs  at  Albany,  an- 
nouncing the  approach  of  scalping  parties  of  the  Canadian 
Indians  toward  the  frontier  settlements  at  the  north.  They 
also  stated  that  two  men  had  been  murdered  on  the  border 
of  New  England, — the  Indians  having  plucked  out  their 
eyes,  torn  off  their  scalps,  and  cut  out  their  hearts.  This 
last  statement  was  confirmed  by  a  letter  from  Go  /emor 
Shirley,  who  spoke  O'  it  as  a  violation  of  the  treaty  of  neu- 
trality between  the  Canadian  Indians  and  the  Six  Nationb, 
and  urging  as  a  proper  measure  that  the  latter  should  now 
forthwith  take  up  the  hatchet.  Upon  these  representations, 
the  council  advised  that  an  interpreter  be  immediately  dis- 
patched to  the  Six  Nations,  with  a  request  that  they  should 
ascertain  to  what  tribe  or  nation  the  offending  Indians  be- 
longed ;  and  also  whether  the  murders  were  approved  by 
their  tribe,  If  so,  then  the  Six  Nations  were  requested  to 
consider  what  was  to  be  their  own  line  of  duty.  If  not,— 
if  the  murders  werp  disapproved, — ^then  it  war,  left  to  the 
Six  Nations  to  say  whether  they  ought  not  to  demand  the 
surrender  of  the  murderers,— rthe  outrage  having  been  al- 
together unprovoked.? 

The  cruelties  just  set  forth,  were  committed  upon  the 
frontier  of  New  Hampshire  ;  biit  others  equally  atrocious 
were  committed  shortly  afterward  in  the  border  settle- 
ments even  of  Connecticut,  of  which  information  was 
given  to  Mr.  Clinton  by  Governor  Low  of  that  colony. 
Nor  were  these  all.  It  was  discovered  in  August,  that 
while  the  Canadian  Indians  had  thus  been  let  loose  upon 
the  New  England  frontiers,— crossing  even  the  province  of 
Massachusetts  in  order  to  strike  Connecticut, — the  French 

'Manuscript  journals  of  the  executive  council. 
'Manuscript  proceedings  of  the  executive  council. 


'  Manusi 
■^  The  coi 


Jacob  We 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


163 


had  become  yet  more  earnest  in  their  solicitations  for  the  ch^m>. 
Iroquois  to  join  them  against  the  English.  Certain  of  the  v-^,— / 
Afohawk  and  Tuscarora  chiefs,  moreover,  had  made  still  ^'^*** 
another  visit  to  the  governor  of  Canada,  in  connection, 
as  there  was  but  too  much  reason,  to  believe,  with  these 
solicitations.  At  all  events,  the  return  of  those  chiefs  was 
preceded  by  a  state  of  feeling  among  the  people,  that 
deterred  the  Indian  commissioners  at  Albany  from  send- 
ing a  messenger  among  them,  with  the  overture  from 
the  governor  and  council  as  directed  on  the  twenty- 
ninth  of  July.  Meantime  a  letter  was  received  from  Mr. 
Phipps,  acting  governor  of  Massachusetts  during  the  ab- 
sence of  Governor  Shirley  at  Louisburg,  announcing  that 
by  the  advice  of  his  majesty's  council  of  that  province, 
war  had  been,  formally  proclaimed  against  the  Eastern 
and  Canadian  Indiaus.^  The  alarm  had  therefore  become 
very  general  before  the  special  attention  of  the  assembly 
was  called  to  the  subject  by  the  message  from  the  governor 
of  the  twentieth  of  August.  That  body  saw  the  necessi- 
ty of  immediate  and  efficient  action,  and  an  appropriation 
of  six  hundred  poi  ds,  in  addition  to  an  unexpended 
balance  of  four  hundred  pounds  yet  iu  the  hands  of 
the  executive,  was  made  to  defray  the  expenses  of  a 
treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Albany.  The  assembly  there- 
upon adjourned  over  by  permission,  from  the  twenty- 
ninth  of  August  to  the  fifteenth  of  October;  and  the 
necessary  measures  were  concerted  f jr  holding  a  general 
coimcil  with  the  Indians  without  unnecessary  delay. 

Ibc  negotiations  were  opened  on  the  filfth  day  of  Octo- 
ber, Gcvernor  Clinton  being  attended  by  Messrs.  Philip 
LivingstOiN  Daniel  Horsmanden,  Joseph  Murray  and  John 
liutlierford,  ."nembers  of  the  executive  council.  Delegates 
were  also  in  attendance  from  the  provinces  of  Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut,  and  Pennsylvania.^    AVout  four  hun- 

'  Manuscript  journals  of  the  execulive  council. 

^  The  commissioners  from  Massachusetts,  were,  Colonel  John  Stoddard, 
Jacob  Wendell,  Thomas  Berry,  John  Choate  and  Thomas  Hutchiuson.     From 


7i 


I- 


164 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


V'- 

■ .( 


CHAP,  dred  and  sixty  Indians  were  present,  representing  all  the 
wy— '  Confederates  excepting  the  Senecas,  who  had  been  detained 
1746.  |jy  ^  distressing  malady,  which  was  sweeping  off  many  of 
their  members.  The  first  interview  between  the  parties 
was  brief, — the  Indians  retiring  immediately  after  they  had 
been  presented  to  the  governor  and  drunk  the  king's 
health.  A  consultation  was  then  held  among  the  com- 
missioners as  to  thu  arrangement  of  their  subsequent  pro- 
ceedings, at  Which  it  was  determined  that  in  order  to  im- 
press the  Indians  with  an  idea  of  the  harmonious  action 
and  consequent  strength  of  the  English,  Governor  Clinton 
should  speak  the  united  voice  of  the  whole, — ^that  is,  of 
N^ew  York  and  New  England.  The  Pennsylvania  com- 
missioners, being  members  of  the  Friends'  society,  pre- 
ferred to  make  an  address  by  themselves,  in  their  own  pe- 
culiar way.  It  was  likewise  determined  that  Mr.  ClintOu 
should  present  the  chiefs  with  the  hatchet  to  strike  the 
French,  and  the  Indians  in  their  alliance,  for  the  infraction 
of  their  treaty  of  neutrality  with  the  Six  Nations,  uncon- 
ditionally,— leaving  it  with  the  Indians  themselves  to  sug- 
gest, should  they  elect  to  do  so,  some  other  measure  for 
obtaining  satisfaction  for  the  barbarities  that  had  been  com- 
mitted.^ 

Before  proceeding  to  the  main  business  for  which  the 
council  had  been  convened,  however,  the  governor  having 
heard  that  notwithstanding  their  message  by  Conrad 
Weiser,  the  Indians  had  never  been  altogether  satisfied  in 
regard  to  the  affair  uf  the  panic,  heretofore  described, 
determined  upon  having  a  full  explanation  of  that  myste- 
rious affair ; — and  two  days  or  more  were  occupied  upon 
that  subject.  Hendrik,  chief  sachem  of  the  Mohawks, 
made  a  long  speech.  He  said  their  distrust  of  the  designs 
of  the  English,  but  especially  of  the  people  of  Albany,  had 


Connecticut,   Roger  Wolcott,   lieutenant-gOTernor,   and  Ooiuiiel  Stanley. 
From  Pennsylvania,  Messrs.  Thomas  Lawrenoe,  John  Kinsley,  and  Isaac 
Norris. 
>  Manuscript  journals  of  the  executive  council. 


LIFJffl  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


165 


been  originally  awakened  by  Jean  Coeur,  a  French  inter-  c«ap. 
preter,  residing  principally  among  the  Senecas.  This  man »— v— « 
had  long  been  regarded  by  the  English  as  a  dangerous  ^^*^' 
neighbor,  and  they  had  endeavored  to  persuade  the  Sene- 
cas to  send  him  away, — ^but  in  vain.  Hendrik  now  in- 
formed Mr.  Clinton  that  Cceur,  on  returning  from  a  visit 
to  Canada,  had  told  the  Indians  that  the  governor  of  New 
York  had  been  proposing  to  the  governor  of  Canada  to 
unite  for  the  entire  destruction  of  their  people.  The  tale 
sank  deep  into  their  minds.  They  knew  that  the  Albany 
people  had  treated  them  badly,  and  when  they  came  to  re- 
flect upon  the  project,  and  thought  of  the  condition  to 
which  the  River  Indians  had  been  reduced,  and  of  the  fact 
that  the  people  of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  had  taken 
all  their  land  away,  they  began  to  ponder  whether  such 
might  not  be  the  design  of  the  English  against  themselves 
—the  Six  Nations.  "You,"  said  Hendrik,  pointing  to 
Colonel  Stoddard,  "  have  got  our  land,  and  driven  us  away 
from  Westfield,  where  my  father  lived  formerly."*  When 
they  thought  of  these  things,  he  repeated,  we  feared  that 
"the  Mohawks  would  be  brous^htto  the  same  pass,"  and 
rendered  "  as  poor  "  as  the  River  Indians  were.  "  This," 
he  said,  "  had  remained  in  their  hearts  some  years,  and 
now,  as  the  governor  woull  have  them  open  their  minds, 
they  had  done  it,  and  they  hoped  it  would  have  a  good 
eifect."2 

A  long  discussion  followed  the  harangue  of  Hendrik, 
in  regard  to  the  authors  of  the  claim,  and  several  persons 
were  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  implicated.  Next  to  Jean 
Cceur,  a  man  named  Philip  Van  Patten,  was  charged  as 
the  chief  agent  in  getting  up  the  mischievous  alarm,  and  a 

^This  romark  will  be  the  better  underiitood  on  the  statement  of  the  fact 
that  the  family  of  Hendrik  was  Mohegan,  and  only  Mohawk  by  adoption. 
Yet  Hendrik  and  his  brothers  were  chiefs  of  the  first  influence — Hendrik 
himself  being  the  principal  chief  of  the  tribe,  and  was  known  as  King 
Hendrik. 

'Manuscript  jourcala  of  the  executive  counoil. 


I 


iM 


166 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


1745, 


CHAP,  negro  wench  of  Schenectady  was  likewise  compromised. 
*  But  the  statements  of  the  Indians  were  contradictory ; 
Van  Patten  purged  himself  on  oath,  and  the  Indians  were 
evidently  opposed  to  any  very  rigid  investigation  being 
made.^  Indeed  before  the  close  of  this  branch  of  the  pro- 
ceedings, it  oame  to  be  justly  doubted  whether  the  whole 
affair  had  not  been  a  contrivance  of  a  few  of  the  Indians 
to  excite  sympathy,  and  perhaps  extort  from  th«  govern- 
ment an  increased  amount  of  presents, — a  lame  and  impo- 
tent conclusion  of  the  touching  and  dmmatic  scen«  brought 
to  the  contemplation  of  Conrad  Weiser.  i 

The  council  was  opened  for  the  transaction  of  the  proper 
business  upon  which  it  had  been  summoned,  on  the  tenth 
of  October.  After  the  usual  preliminary  salutations,  in 
which  the  Indians  were  told  as  a  mutter  of  course,  that  the 
council  had  been  invited  for  the  purpose  of  "  rendering, 
strengthening,  and  brightoning  the  covenant  chain,"  and 
after  condoling  with  them  for  the  absence  of  the  Senecas, 
because  of  the  grievous  sickness  their  people  were  suffer- 
ing, the  governor  spoke  to  them  directly,  and  in  a  tone  or 
disapprobation  of  the  late  visit  of  some  of  their  chiefs  to 
Montreal,  where  they  had  met  the  French  governor.  It 
had  been  asserted  in  justification  of  that  visit,  that  they 
had  gone  thither  to  protest  against  any  invasion  of  Oswe- 
go by  the  French — the  Six  Nations  desiring  that  that  post 
might  be  suffered  to  remain  as  "  aplace  of  trade  and  peace," 
and  pretending  that  they  were  determined  to  defend  it  if 
attacked.  But  at  the  very  time  when  their  chiefs  were  in 
Montreal,  the  Canada  Indians  had  been  breaking  their 
treaty,  and  murdering  the  English.  Not  only  so,  but  the 
governor  assured  them  he  had  been  informed  that  while 
pretending  that  their  mission  was  thus  pacific,  they  hud  so 
far  ac(  epted  the  hatchet  from  the  French,  as  to  agree  to 
bring  it  home,  and  consider  whether  they  would  strike 
their  English  friends  with  it  or  not.    This  story,  however, 


^  Manuscript  journals  of  the  executive  council 


LIPB  OP  SIR  WILI.TAM  JOHNSON,   DART. 


167 


the  English  could  hardly  believe  to  be  true,  unless  they  chap. 
should  hear  it  from  their  own  lips.  A  lull  and  plain  answer  v-.^— / 
was  expected,  "  that  all  stains  might  be  wiped  from  the  ^^*^' 
covenant  chain." 

Mr.  Clinton  next  proceeded  to  relate  to  the  chiefs  the 
progress  of  the  war — informing  them  of  the  action  of  the 
French  the  preceding  year  upon  Annapolis  Royal,  and 
giving  them  an  account  of  the  fall  of  Louisburg,  and  the 
conquest  of  Cape  Breton.  In  this  part  of  the  country,  the 
English  had  lain  still ;  but  they  had  last  year  informed  the 
governor  of  Canada,  that  unless  the  war  should  be  conduct- 
ed in  a  Christian-like  manner, — unless  the  Canada  Indians 
were  restrained  from  murdering  the  English, — the  Six  Na- 
tions would  immediately  join  the  latter  and  strike  upon 
the  settlements  of  Canada.  Yet  the  French  seemed  deter- 
mined not  to  be  at  peace  with  us,  and  their  Indians  had  not 
only  killed  some  of  the  English,  but  had  left  a  hatchet  by 
the  side  of  one  of  the  dead, — thus  defying  the  English  and 
the  Six  Nations  to  take  it  up.  The  most  solemn  and  sacred 
engagements  were  broken  by  them,  and  they  had  shown 
that  even  belts  of  wampum  would  not  bind  them  to  their 
promises.  The  English  had  been  slighted,  and  the  Six 
IJiJ^ations  treated  as  though  they  were  not  worthy  to  be  re- 
garded. They  think  you  will  not  perform  what  you  have 
threatened,  and  they  fear  not  your  displeasure.  Thus  they 
reflect  dishonor  upon  you. 

The  chiefs  were  next  told  that  it  wj^a  high  time  both  the 
English  and  the  Six  Nations  should  exert  themselves  to 
vindicate  their  honor.  The  English  desired  not  the  de- 
struction of  their  fellow  creatures,  yet  they  felt  that  they 
ought  not  any  longer  to  bear  these  insults  and  this  evil 
treatment  from  the  French.  "  Therefore,  since  neither  our 
peaceable  disposition  nor  examples,  nor  any  methods  we 
have  been  able  to  use,  have  sufficed  to  prevail  upon  them 
to  forbear  their  barbarous  treatment  of  us,  but  on  the  con- 
trary, they  seem  determine4  to  provoke  our  resentment, — 


'  -'  f    i 


1 


«t 


168 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1746, 


CRAP,  in  the  name  of  God  we  are  resolved  not  only  to  defend  our- 
'  selves,  but  by  all  possible  methods  to  put  it  out  of  their 
power  to  misuse  and  ovil-entreat  us  as  they  have  heretofore 
done.  And  we  doubt  not  of  your  ready  and  cheerful  con- 
currence with  us,  agreeable  to  the  solemn  promise  you 
made  us  in  this  place  last  summer,  in  joining  with  us 
against  the  French,  and  such  Indians  as  are  or  may  bo  in- 
stigated by  them  to  commit  hostilities  against  us."  This 
passage  of  the  governor's  speech  was  followed  by  the  pre- 
sentation of  a  large  belt  of  wampum,  with  a  hatchet  hung 
to  \V       , 

Having  taken  two  days  for  consideration,  the  Indians  re- 
plied, renewing  the  covenant  chain,  which  they  said  they 
were  determined  should  never  rust  again,  "  because  they 
would  daily  wipe  off  the  dust,  and  keep  it  clean."  In  re- 
gard to  the  visit  of  their  chiefs  to  Montreal,  they  denied 
peremptorily,  the  truth  of  the  report  of  their  having  consent- 
ed to  receive  the  hatchet  from  the  French  governor,  even 
for  the  purpose  of  consideration.  Upon  this  and  some 
other  points  of  less  importance,  the  chiefs  answered  with- 
out embarrasment.  But  on  the  subject  of  consenting  to 
go  upon  the  war-path  against  the  French,  they  spoke  wari- 
ly. They  thanked  the  governor  for  the  information  he 
had  given  of  the  progress  of  the  war ;  but  touching  the 
direct  appeal  to  them  to  engage  in  the  contest,  they  cau- 
tiously said : — "you  desire,  as  we  are  of  one  flesh  with  you, 
that  we  would  also  take  up  the  hatchet  against  the  French, 
and  the  Indians  under  their  influence,  with  you.  We  the 
Six  Nations,  accept  of  the  hatchet, — and  will  put  it  in  our 
bosoms  !  We  are  in  alliance  with  a  great  many  of  the  far 
Indians,  and  if  we  should  so  suddenly  lift  up  the  hatchet 
without  acquainting  our  allies  with  it,  they  would  perhaps 
take  oflence  at  it.  We  will  therefore  before  we  make  use 
of  the  hatchet  against  the  French  or  their  Indians,  send 
foui'  of  our  people,  who  are  row  ready  to  go,  to  Canada, 
to  demand  satisfaction  for  the  wrongs  they  have  done  our 

>  Manuscript  journals  of  executive  council. 


I 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


169 


1746. 


brothron,  and  if  they  reftise  to  mt^ko  satisfaction,  then  we  chai*. 
will  be  ready  to  use  the  hatchet  against  them,  whenever  • 
our  brother  the  governo'  ^i  New  York  orders  us  to  do  it." 
Two  months,  they  said,  in  reply  to  a  question  from  the 
governor,  w-.  ti  I  be  time  enough  for  thom  to  ascertain 
whether  the  aggressors  would  make  the  requisite  satis- 
faction ;  and  in  the  event  of  their  not  doing  so,  they  re- 
peated their  declaration  to  use  the  hatchet  at  the  command 
of  his  excellency.* 

In  subsequent  sections  of  their  speech,  the  Indians  took 
occasion  to  remind  the  governor  that  the  original  design 
of  their  alliance  with  the  English  was  the  advantages  they 
hoped  to  derive  from  a  reciprocal  trade ;  but  goods  had 
been  sold  very  high  to  them  of  late.  They  were  now  Resti- 
tute of  clothes,  powder,  and  lead ;  "  and  people  who  are  to 
go  to  war  ought  to  be  well  provided  with  ammunition. 
This,  however,  should  their  request  be  now  denied,  was 
the  last  time  they  should  speak  upon  the  subject."  In 
his  rejoinder,  the  governor  explained  to  them  the  causes 
of  the  high  prices  of  goods  at  that  t\\rie.  They  were 
occasioned  by  the  war ;  but  he  would  see  that  goods 
should  be  sold  to  them  at  as  reasonable  rates  as  possible. 
The  presents  to  be  distributed  among  them  were  then  an- 
nounced,— the  governor  enjoining  it  upon  the  chiefs  to 
reserve  for  the  absent  Sene(  u^  their  due  proportion.'  The 
discussions  were  concluded  :j7  a  few  words  of  wholesome 
advice  addressed  to  the  red  chieftains  now  about  return- 
ing again  to  their  own  beloved  wilds. 

Thus  far  the  proceedings  of  the  conference  had  been 
marked  by  apparant  harmony.  But  Mr.  Clinton  had  no 
sooner  ended  his  closing  address,  than  the  Massachusetts 

'  Here  the  Indians  requested  hig  tioellenoy,  that,  as  they  had  given  the 
var-shout  upon  his  delivering  the  hatohet  to  them,  that  their  brethren  would 
now  signify  their  approbation  of  this  article  (or  avowal)  in  their  usual 
method.  Whereupon  his  excellency  and  most  of  the  company  joined  in 
shouts  with  three  hurrahs.  " — Ms.  »c  /■'ds  of  the  council  recorded  in  the  ex-; 
ecutive  Journals. 

'Manuscript  journals  of  the  executive  cojincil. 

S2 


170 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  commissioners  rose  to  express  their  di  ^approbation  o:  that 
viv-  V^"^  o^  ^^^^  speech  of  the  sachems  in  which  they  luid 
^'*^-  uooiared  that  for  the  present  instea*!  of  using  the  liatchct 
they  should  "  put  it  in  their  boson  ,  The  commissioners 
stated  that  when  the  Indians  first  arrived  in  Albany,  they 
came  with  a  good  heart  to  enter  into  the  war  at  once ;  and 
they  attributed  their  change  of  purpose  and  desire  of  de- 
lay, to  the  intrigues  of  the  people  of  Albany.  The  Albani- 
ans, the  commissioners  said  they  well  knew,  were  opposed 
to  having  the  Six  Nations  engaged  in  the  contest,  and 
they  doubted  not  that  the  hesitancy  which  the  chiefs  had 
manifested,  was  altogether  owing  to  their  influence.  On 
the  subject  of  the  proposed  mission  to  obtain  satisfaction 
from  the  red  men  in  Canada,  the  Massachusetts  gentlemen 
regarded  the  propiosltion  as  a  mere  pretext  for  delay.  If 
satisfaction  were  given  at  all,  as  pretended  to  be  given,  i*, 
would  probably  consist  of  a  small  bundle  of  skins,  of  no 
substantial  value,  and  would  be  no  atonement  at  all. 
They  were  therefore  greatly  dissappointed  with  the  turn 
ihei  ^egotiation  had  taken.^ 

It  would  not  be  safe  to  affirm  that  this  suspicion  of  the 
Massachusetts  gentlemen  was  indulged  without  cause. 
The  Albanians,  at  that  time,  regardless  of  the  higher  ob- 
ligations of  patriotism,  were  engaged  in  a  lucrative  con- 
traband trade  with  Montreal,  through  the  agency,  proba- 
bly, of  the  Caughnawagas,  as  in  former  years.  Of  this 
trade  the  Six  Nations  themselves  had  complained,  because 
of  the  supplies  of  ammunition  thus  furnished  to  the 
Erench  ;  and  the  governor,  in  his  last  preceding  message 
to  the  assembly,  had  recommended  strong  measures  for  its 
suppression.  Nevertheless,  from  a  motive  of  policy, — for  it 
could  have  been  prompted  by  nothing  else, — Mr.  Clinton 
affected  surprise  at  the  suggestions  of  the  Massachusetts 
gentlemen,  inasmuch,  he  urged,  as  it  had  been  the  de- 
clared opinion  of  Governor  Shirley  himself,  that  it  would 

>  ManuBoript  journals  of  the  executive  council. 


Ill' 


LIPB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSn'T,   BART. 


171 


be  in  ovoiy  view  sufficient  were  the  entire  neu  rality  of  the  chap. 
Indians  to  be  preserved.  That  neutrality  it  was  the  strong  w^— ' 
desire  of  the  Six  Nations  to  main  xin  unbroken;  and  it 
was  to  this  end,  as  Mr.  Clinton  now  insisted  to  the  Maswa- 
chusetts  gentlemen,  thiit  some  of  ilioir  "hiolB  were  in  Ca- 
nada ut  the  very  time  when  the  dirocf"  >u8  for  holding  the 
present  council  were  issued.  An<l  yet  before  it  was  pos- 
sible for  them  to  asc  i*tflin  t>)e  dispon'tion  of  the  Canada 
Indians,   or  to   reap  th    fr-  *"  *^Hei.   paciiic  endeavors, 


ha<l  actually  declared 

ac        e  jurisdiction  of 

1  U8  an  additional  rea- 

delay,  that  many  of 


greatly  to  hia  surprise,  M.i  acl 
war  against  the  Indians 
the  French.  It  was  moit 
son  why  the  Six  Nations  sou 
their  own  people  were  in  Cauuaa  and  their  safety  would 
he  compromised  should  their  friendn  at  home  take  up  the 
hatchet  at  once.*  Thus  closed  the  council ;  but  the  vail 
which  Mr.  Clinton  had  attempted  thus  adroitly  to  throw 
over  the  subject-matter  of  the  complaints  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts gentlemen,  was  quite  too  transparent  to  be  satis- 
factory. 

A  new  aspect  was  imparted  to  the  case  in  the  course  of 
the  ensuing  night,  by  the  arrival  of  an  express  from  Mas- 
sachusetts with  intelligence  that  a  body  of  French  and  In- 
dians had  fallen  upon  one  of  the  block-houses  on  the  New 
England  frontier,  —  situated  at  Great  meadow,  on  the 
Connecticut  river.  On  the  next  morning,  therefore,  the 
Massachusetts  gentlemen  applied  to  Governor  Clinton  upon 
the  subject,  urging  that  by  this  attack  of  the  French  and 
their  Indians  upon  one  of  the  king's  forts,  the  case  had 
substantially  arisen,  in  which  he  might,  under  the  express 
agreement  of  the  Six  Nations  two  days  before,  order  them 
forthwith  upon  the  war-path,  and  that  they  would  be  bound 
to  go.  They  had  said,  that  if  before  the  expiration  of  the 
two  months  delay  for  which  they  asked,  further  acts  ot 
hostility  should  be  committed  by  the  enemy,  at  the  orders 


^  Manuscript  journals  of  the  executive  council. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


/. 


^  ^"4^. 


I«w        1^  B^B    Hi 


I.I 


12.5 


^    US, 


12.2 
2.0 

1.8 


1 

1.25      1.4      1.6 

< 

6"     

► 

Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4SG.') 


71 


iwf't' 


172 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BAR7. 


1746. 


:ii    .33 


oiur.  of  the  governor  they  would  "  strike  with  the  hatchet."^ 
'  The  exigency  had  already  occurred,  and  the  commissioners 
now  requested  that  the  order  might  be  given, — stipulating 
at  the  same  time,  that  they  would  supply  the  Indians  with 
the  necessary  munitions  of  war  for  the  campaign,  at  their 
own  expense,  provided  they  could  be  led  forth  against  the 
enemy  at  once.  But  this  request,  after  full  advisement  in 
council,  was  not  acceded  to  by  Mr.  Clinton.  The  Indians 
were  not  inclined  to  immediate  war ;  nor  had  the  case  pro- 
vided for  actually  arisen,  inasmuch  as  the  attack  upon  the 
block-house  must  have  been  made  before  the  Six  Nations 
had  entered  into  the  engagement  referred  to.  Those  na- 
tions, moreover,  were  the  only  existing  barrier  between  the 
frontiers  of  New  York  and  the  enemy ;  and  the  withdrawal 
of  that  barrier,  while  the  frontier  of  New  York  was  thus 
naked  and  exposed,  would  be  subjecting  the  settlements  {o 
infinite  peril.  The  governor,  therefore,  could  not  consent 
to  the  proposition,  until  he  had  consulted  the  assembly, 
and  given  that  body  time  to  plade  the  frontier  of  New  York 
in  a  posture  of  defence.  While,  however,  for  these  and 
other  reasons  that  were  stated,  Mr.  Clinton  declined  allow- 
ing the  commissioners  the  immediate  aid  of  the  Six  Na- 
tions, he  nevertheless  offered  ft  detachment  of  militia  for 
their  assistance  at  the  expense  of  this  province.'  This 
proffer  was  declined,  and  the  Commissioners  departed— 
not,  it  is  to  be  presumed,  in  the  best  possible  humor. 

Returning  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  the  general 
assembly,  after  a  short  recess,  had  resumed  its  sittings,  the 
governor,  on  the  second  of  November,  communicated  the 
results  of  his  mission  to  Albany,  by  a  special  message,  in 
which  he  took  occasion  to  speak  of  the  aggressions  of  the 
French  and  their  Indian  allies  upon  +he  border  settlements 

1  So  the  Maisaohusetta  oommissioners  insisted,  but  the  faot  does  not  ap- 
pear exactly  thus  in  the  formal  speech  preserved  in  the  records  of  the 
council.  '      , 

*  Manuscript  journals  of  the  executive  council. 


LIVB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


178 


of  Kew  England,  and  urged  the  importance  of  making  im- chap. 
mediate  and  adequate  provision  for  the  defence  of  the^^v— ' 
northern  frontier  of  New  York.  It  was  not  known  how  *^*^" 
strong  was  the  combined  French  and  Indian  force  that  had 
attacked  the  fort  at  Great  meadow,  nor  how  soon  it  might 
fall  upon  some  of  the  exposed  settlements  of  this  province. 
Buch  an  attack  was  certainly  to  be  apprehended ;  and  the 
governor  pressed  home  with  earnestness  upon  the  assem- 
bly the  absolute  necessity  of  erecting  fortifications  at  the 
exposed  points,  not  only  for  the  security  of  the  out-settle- 
ments, but  for  the  purpose  of  giving  encouragement  and 
confidence  to  the  Indians,  that  they  might  be  induced,  with 
the  greater  cheerfiilness,  to  join  in  the  war.  For  the  Mo- 
hawks, always  brave  themselves,  "  felt  a  very  allowable  re- 
pugnance to  expose  the  lives  of  their  warriors  in  defence 
of  those  who  made  no  effort  to  defend  themselves ;  who 
were  neither  protected  by  the  arms  of  their  sovereign,  nor 
by  their  own  courage."* 

These  admonitions  received  not  that  immediate  attention 
which  the  exigency  of  the  case  demanded ;  and  but  two 
short  weeks  intervened  before  the  war-whoop,  and  the 
reddened  sky  at  the  north,  startled  the  assembly  from  its 
inaction,  and  taught  it  that  earlier  and  more  earnest  heed 
ought  to  have  been  ^ven  to  his  excellency's  repeated  re- 
commendations. Fort  St.  Frederick,  at  Crown  Point,  was 
at  that  period  garrisoned  with  sufficient  strength  to  enable 
its  commander,  Mr.  Vaudreuil,  to  send  out  strong  detach- 
ments to  annoy  the  English  settlements  at  his  pleasure. 
One  of  these  had  fallen,  as  already  stated,  upon  the  Great 
meadow  settlement  in  Massachusetts;  and  at  break  of  day,  on 
the  morning  of  November  seventeenth,  a  combined  force  of 
four  hundred  French  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  Indians, 
invaded  the  flourishing  settlement  of  Saratoga,  overcame 
the  garrison,  killed  and  took  nearly  the  entire  population 
prisoners,  and  laid  every  building  in  ashes,  excepting  a  new 
mill  standing  out  of  their  course.    The  aftair  is  represent- 

^  Mrs.  Grant's  Memoirs  of  Madame  Schuyler. 


I 


1   I 


I  .  -t' 


I 


r^^^Kasli 


'«!*  I 


/ 


174 


LII*E  OS*  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


r . 


CHAP,  ed  as  having  been  "  barbarous,"  in  the  only  contempora- 
Wyw  neouB  written  account  of  it  which  I  have  been  able  to  find  j 
1746.  the  number  of  persons  killed,  however,  is  not  stated.^  But 
the  slaughter  must  have  been  considerable,  since  Governor 
Clinton,  in  a  speech  to  the  assembly  several  weeks  after- 
ward, says,  "  many  of  our  people  were  murdered."  Among 
the  slain  was  the  brave  Captain  Schuyler,  a  brother  of  Co- 
lonel Phillip  Schuyler.  More  than  one  hundred  prisoners 
were  taken  away,  a  majority  of  whom  were  blacks, — slaves, 
it  is  presumed.  Thirty  families  were  sacrificed  in  the  mas- 
sacre ;  a  description  of  the  horrors  of  which  would  be  but 
a  repetition  of  the  story  of  Schenectady,  fifty-five  years  be- 
fore.' So  adroitly  had  the  enemy  concerted  their  plans, 
that  every  house  must  have  been  attacked  at  nearly  the 
same  instant  of  time.  One  family  only  escaped,  the  foot- 
steps of  whose  flight  were  lighted  by  the  conflagration.  \ 
From  Saratoga  the  invaders  crossed  the  Hudson,  and 
swept  with  equal  desolation  the  village  of  Hoosic.  A  small 
fort  at  this  place,  commanded  by  Col.  Hawks,  made  a 
spirited  defence,  but  was  compelled  to  surrender.  These 
events  laid  the  settlements  naked  and  open  to  the  ravages 
of  the  enemy  down  to  the  very  gates  of  Albany,  spreading 
general  consternation  through  the  interior  of  the  province. 
The  inhabitants  in  the  settlements  most  ex  d  rushed 
into  Albany  for  security ;  and  the  males  of  tli  j  capable 
of  bearing  arms,  were  obliged  to  go  upon  the  watch  in  the 
environs,  each  in  his  turn  every  other  night.'  h«f  ;,.,i'v..  >. 
Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  these  unwelcome  tidings  in 
New  York,the  governor  transmitted  a  message  announcing 
the  facte  to  the  general  assembly,   written   under  the 

^Ms.  letter  from  Robert  Sanders,  of  Albany,  to  "  Mr.  William  Johnson, 
merchant  at  Mount  Johnson,  "  in  which  the  writer  says :  In  obedience  to 
year  request  I  shall  bear  in  mind  that  this  is  not  the  Saratoga  watering 
place  of  modern  days,  but  the  old  town  of  Saratoga  lying  upon  the  margin 
of  the  Hudson  river,  rendered  yet  more  famous  in  history  by  the  surrender 
of  General  Burgoyne  upon  its  plains  in  1777. 
•Dunlop's  History  of  New  York.  '!^  "';'"'  '^^  wh>  -kh;.  .^ 
*  Sanders's  letter.  uh..,.        .u.^Llvt  ,      A    .    ,         ,» 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


176 


strong  excitement  of  the  moment,  and  upbraiding  that  chaf. 
body  for  its  disregard  of  those  measures  of  defence  which  wy— * 
had  so  frequently  been  urged  upon  its  consideration.  ^'*^' 
•'The  like  was  never  known,"  he  said,  "  that  one  part  of  a 
government  should  be  left  to  be  butchered  by  the  enemy, 
without  assistance  from  the  other."  The  high  road  from 
Crown  Point  to  Albany,  was  now  open  to  the  enemy,  and 
he  again  called  upon  the  assembly  for  means  to  enable  him 
to  erect  a  proper  fort  at  the  carrying-place,  and  such  other 
defences  as  might  be  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  set- 
tlements in  the  neighborhood  of  the  places  that  had  been 
destroyed.  Further  provision  was  also  demanded  for  the 
Indian  service,  the  exigence  having  now  occurred  which 
would  authorize  the  governor  to  call  the  Six  ]!^ations  forth- 
with into  the  service.  Supplies  were  moreover  indispens- 
able for  subsisting  the  troops  and  militia  from  the  city, 
and  the  lower  counties  which  must  be  detailed  to  the  north 
for  its  protection.  The  sharp  tone  of  the  message  gave 
offence.  And  yet  it  was  very  natural  that  the  governor, 
who  certainly  was  chargeable  with  no  neglect  of  duty  him- 
self, should  speak  to  those  who  were,  in  terms  of  earnest- 
ness, if  not  of  reproof.* 

Suppressing  their  resentment  at  the  governor's  tartness, 
for  the  moment,  however,  the  assembly  declared  its  readi- 
ness at  all  times,  "  to  concur,  cheerfully,  in  every  reasonable 
Liefasure  for  the  honor  of  his  majesty,  and  for  the  welfare 
and  security  of  this  colony ;  for  the  assistance,  also,  of  our 
neighbors,  and  for  any  well-concerted  plan,  consistent  with 
the  circumstances  of  the  colony,  for  distressing  and  har- 
rassing  the  enemy."  As  an  earnest  of  their  sincerity  in 
this  declaration,  bills  were  passed  making  liberal  appropri- 
ations for  the  service,  accompanied  by  a  resolution  for 
building  the  oft-recommended  fortress  at  the  carrying-place, 

^It  is  asserted  by  Smith,  that  the  gorernor's  irritation  with  the  assembly 
had  been  excited  a  few  days  before  the  receipt  of  the  news  from  Saratoga, 
by  its  proceedings  in  the  case  of  the  contested  election  of  Edward  Holland, 
to  which  transaction  I  shall  have  occasion  again  to  advert. 


J 


.4 

f 


176 


LIFE  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


IV. 


174A. 


OHAr.aud  for  rebuilding  the  fort  at  Saratoga.  A  reBolutioii  was 
'  also  adopted  authorizing  bounties  to  be  given  for  scalps, 
taken  either  by  white  men  or  Indians,  provided  that  that 
barbarous  mode  of  warfare  should  be  resorted  to  in  the 
first  instance  by  the  enemy.  Having  done  thus  much  for 
the  military  service,  and  passed  the  annual  salary  and  sup- 
ply bills,  the  assembly  adjourned  over  from  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  November  to  the  seventeenth  of  December, 
"  liien  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Rear  Admiral  Warren,  in 
Greenwich."* 

Early  in  December  an  important  letter  was  laid  before 
the  privy  council  from  Colonel  Philip  Schuyler,  requesting 
the  governor  to  send  up  three  hundred  men  from  the 
militia  of  the  lower  counties  for  the  defence  of  Albany 
and  f^'lienectady,  and  also  asking  for  the  immediate  re- 
building of  the  fort  at  Saratoga  where  his  brother  h£^ 
been  slain.  These  requests  had  been  in  part  anticipated 
by  the  governor,  the  two  companies  of  independent  fu- 
sileers  stationed  in  New  York  having  been  ordered  upon 
that  service,  who  were  then  on  their  way.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing the  pressing  nature  of  the  emergency,  the  re- 
moval of  these  troops  from  the  metropolis  caused  dissatis- 
faction, and  the  local  militia  refused  to  perform  duty  as 
sentinels  at  the  governor's  residence,  or  at  any  other 
place  save  within  the  walls  of  the  fort.  Conceiving  this 
conduct  a  high  personal  indignity,  the  attention  of  the 
executive  council  was  called  to  the  subject,  by  whom  an 
order  was  passed  directing  that  the  refractory  conscripts 
should  be  compelled  to  perform  the  duty  required."  In 
addition  to  the  fusileers,  a  competent  number  of  the  mili- 
tia were  drafted  for  the  frontier  service,  which  was  not 
very  desirable  to  the  yeomanry  of  the  counties,  espe- 
cially in  winter ;  and  a  spirit  of  insubordination  among 

'See  journals  of  the  colonial  assembly.  The  prevalence  of  the  small- 
pox in  the  city, — the  simple  ar  Jdote  to  that  terrible  disease  of  Dr.  Jenner 
pot  having  been  discoverei*  until  i^early  half  a  century  afterward— rendering 
the  change  expedient.   '  -■•■  >       ■■"C    -■  ■..>  ji  .--riU:.' •-.->.•"'.:  vt  , 

*  Manuscript  journals  of  the  e;(eoutiye  oounoil.     ''     m   .-:':       t;; 


LIN  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BABT. 


m 


them,  manifested  in  several  respects,  but  particularly  In  *'y^* 
their  refusal  to  aid  in  building  the  fort  at  Saratoga,  gave  *— v— ' 
Colonel  Schuyler  no  small  amount  of  trouble.*  There 
was  probably  cause  for  dissatisfaction  among  these  levies, 
to  some  extent,  arising  not  only  from  an  ill-supplied  com- 
missariat, and  the  consequent  absence  of  many  things 
necessary  for  their  comfort  in  a  rigorous  winter  climate,  but 
also  from  the  want  of  a  hospital  for  the  sick,  t^ere  being 
none  at  Albany.  Nevertheless  the  worl^  ax.  Saratoga 
went  slowly  forward,  by  such  assistance  as  could  be  ob- 
tained from  the  people  in  that  part  of  the  country,  covered 
by  patrols  of  a  few  militia  and  about  forty  Indians  upon 
whom  Schuyler  had  prevailed  to  engage  in  that  service,  * 
On  the  whole,  therefore,  the  winter  set  in  gloomily.  The 
entire  frontier  of  New  England  and  New  York  was  ex- 
posed to  the  incursions  of  arj  agile  and  subtle  enemy, 
certain  to  strike  if  opportunity  presented,  and  yet  equally 
certain  to  conceal  the  point  oi  attack  until  the  fall  of  the 
bbw.  On  the  eleventh  of  December,  Mr.  Low,  governor  of 
Connecticut,  wrote  to  Mr.  Clinton  that  a  force  of  six  hund- 
red Frenchmen  and  Indians  was  investing  Stockbridge, 
against  whom  he  had  ordered  a  force  to  march  with  all 
possible  alacrity.  Several  months  previously,  the  gover- 
nor of  Georgia  had  written  that  he  had  been  advised 
through  the  Ohickasaws  of  a  general  movement  against 
the  northern  colonies,  by  the  Indians  as  remote  even  as  the 
Mississippi  valley,  acting  in  alliance  with  those  upon  the 
great  lakes, — all  of  whom  had  been  instigated  against  the 
English  by  the  French  governor  at  New  Orleans.  This 
rumor  was  now  received  through  a  different  channel,  with 
the  additional  statement  that  these  distant  Indians  were  to 
join  the  French  from  Canada,  and  strike  from  the  west- 
ward upon  the  settlements  of  Orange,  Ulster,  and  Albany 
countieB,-rT-especially  upon  the  towns  of  Esopus  and  Mini- 

1  Manusoript  joumalB  of  executlue  oounoil,  oorrespondenoe  of  Colonel 
Schuyler.  y*vH;,«'  ■  ^;i ;•:!''>! if^rtft' 

'Letter  ftrom  a  surgeon  to  the  executive  council. 

2§     ■  ..K.M..«-.,... 


l^=:  :W 


178 


LITJS  OF  SIB  WILLLUM  JOHNSON,   9A»T. 


1746. 


ouMT.  sink, — and  also  upon  the  frontiers  of  J^'ew  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania ;  while  certain  suspicious  n^ovements  among 
the  clans  of  Indians  yet  remaining  in  Orapge  and  Ulster, 
who  had  withdrawn  themselves  suddenly  from  their  hunt- 
ing-grounds, served  to  strengthen  the  apprehension.  But 
in  regard  to  these  latter  clans,  the  alarm  was  allayed  in  a 
short  time  by  a  communication  from  Colonel  DeKay,  of 
Orange,  who  had  induced  them  to  come  back  and  renew 
the  chain  of  their  covenant.  The  colonel  was  actually 
bound  to  some  of  tl^eir  chiefs  by  a  chain,  for  an  hour  or 
more,  at  their  request,  as  an  evidence  that  the  two  peo- 
ples were  fast  bound  to  each  other.^ 

Meantime  the  general  assembly  met  again  on  the  seven- 
teenth of  December,  the  session  being  opened  by  a  speech, 
shor^  and  to  the  purpose.  After  a  brief  statement  of  the 
measures  he  had  adopted  for  the  public  defence  during  the 
recess,  and  asking  for  such  an  appropriation  as  would  enable 
him  to  build  a  fort  of  stone,  "large  and  strong,"  at  the 
locality  so  often  designated  north  of  Albany,  to  guard  the 
canying-place  between  the  Hudson  river  and  Lake 
Ohamplain,  the  governor  again  urged  the  adoption  of 
such  measures  as  would  enable  him  to  form  a  union  for 
the  more  efficient  prosecution  of  the  war  with  the  other 
colonies,  a  proposition  which  had  again  been  pressed  upon 
his  consideration  by  the  government  of  Massachusetts. 
Borne  action  of  this  kind  had  become  the  more  necessary, 
inasmuch  as  there  was  reason  to  believe  that  thd  French 
were  organizing  a  powerful  force  in  Canada,  with  the  de- 
sign of  penetn|,ting  into  the  heart  of  New  York.  Among 
the  documents  con^n^^icated  with  the  speech,  was  a  let- 
ter from  Doctor  Oolden,  dated  ^t  Qoldei^ham,  in  the 
county  of  Orange,  stating  that  the  French  had  now  a 
considerable  party  among  the  Si^  Nations,  industriously 
engaged  in  sowing  the  seeds  of  disaffection,  a|id  in 
promoting   their  own  interests.     Certain  it  was,    thj^t 

^Maausoript  journftls  of  tho  executive  oounoil. 


LIPB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  J0HNS0I7,  BART. 


179 


by  means  of  some  adverse  influence,  the  Confederates  orat. 
were  again  occupying  a  doubtful  position.  This  appears  v-^ 
from  the  fact,  that  immediately  after  the  disaster  at  Sarar  i7iJki 
toga,  the  governor  had  directed  the  Indian  commission- 
ers at  Albany,  to  send  an  interpreter  into  the  Iroquois 
country,  requiring  of  them  a  compliance  vrith  their  en-  .^^^j 
gagementa  in  such  a  contingency,  made  at  the  treaty.  The 
order  for  them  to  "draw  the  hatchet  from  their  bosoms," 
and  proceed  immediately  against  the  enemy,  was  peremp- 
tory. But  the  chiefs  refused  a  compliance  with  the  man- 
date ;  and  the  commissioners,  in  announcing  the  result  of 
the  mission,  suggested  the  calling  of  another  council 
larger  than  the  former,  at  which  they  thought  it  would  be 
necessary  to  send  the  Indians  off  upon  some  expedition 
before  they  should  return  to  their  castles.^  This  unex- 
pected information  was  announced  to  the  general  assem- 
bly by  a  special  message;  and  the  dispatch  from  the 
commissioners  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  the  execu- 
tive council  for  consideration.  > -;  ..r  i.i^,  .^va  .j^,, 
But  notwithstanding  the  irri^tion  which  the  faithless- 
ness of  the  Indians  was  so  well  calculated  to  produce,  Mr. 
Horsmanden,  chairman  of  the  committee  of  reference, 
made  an  able  and  humane  report,  going  so  for  in  extenu-* 
ation  of  their  conduct  as  almost  to  justify  their  sullen  re^ 
fusal  to  enter  into  the  war.  It  was  considered  that  they 
were  a  scattered  people,  and  their  cantons  remote 
from  each  other ;  and  whatever  other  plausible  pretexts 
they  might  themselves  assign  for  their  conduct,  it  could 
not  be  doubted  that  they  were  under  terrible  apprehen- 
sions for  the  safety  of  their  own  wives  and  children, 
should  they  engage  in  the  contest,  since  in  the  absence  of 
their  warriors,  who  were  to  protect  their  own  country  from 
the  French  and  ihdr  Indians?  The  committee  there- 
fore recommended  that  forts  and  garrisons  should  be  es- 
tablished in  the  country  of  the  Confederates,  as  places  of 
security  for  the  women  and  children,  and  the  old  men,  in 


i 


'  Manuaoript  journals  of  the  executive  oounoil. 


180 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILUAU  JOHNSON,   BAUr. 


'ii 


oBAT.  case  of  invasion.    This  measure  would  give  confidence  to 
wyw  the  chiefs ;  and  the  committee  therefore  recommended  u 
1748.  correspondence  with  the  other  colonies  upon  the  subject, 
with  a  view  of  obtaining  assistance  in  the  ereotiou  of  the 
works  proposed.^ 
174e.      The  importance  of  an  alliance  with  the  K'ew  England 
colonies,  both  for  mutual  security,  and  for  offensive  and 
defensive  operations,  was  by  this  time  becoming  more  ob- 
vious, and  the  recommendations  of  the  governor  began 
now  to  be  received  with  greater  favor  by  the  assembly 
than  previous  to  this  threatened  Indian  defection.    Accord- 
ingly, on  the  twenty-fourth  of  January  the  house  asked  of 
the  council  its  concurrence  in  a  r<^8olution  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  joint  committee  upon  the  state  of  the  colony. 
The  proposition  was  acceeded  to ;  and  the  result  of  their 
deliberations,  after  their  action  had  been  again  quickened 
by  an  Indian  alarm,  waa  the  sanction,  in  the  spring,  of  the 
project  which  had  been  so  long  and  so  much  desired  by 
the  executive,  and  so  blindly  resisted  by  the  representa- 
tives of  the  people.'     The  commissioners  appointed  to 
confer  with  those  from  New  England,  were  Philip  Living- 
ston,   Daniel  Horsmanden,  and  Joseph  Murray,  of  the 
council;   Philip  Yetplanck  and  William  NichoU,  of  the 
assembly.  .tf  nt  iai>f»5fi.  ^f»  i^^frfv......  ■^j.-.tj  z;^^.  . 

•^  An  improved  spirit  of  liberality  was  likewise  evinced  as 
to  appropriations  for  the  public  defence,  and  for  other 
branches  of  the  service.  Yet  the  proceedings  of  the  As- 
sembly, upon  some  of  these  measures  at  least,  were  not 
characterized  by  the  greatest  harmony.  There  was  an  in- 
creasing hostility  in  the  lower  house  against  the  governor ; 
the  assembly  and  council  were  at  odds  upon  a  question  of 
parliamentary  law,  involving,  indirectiy,  the  royal  preroga- 

>  HauDsoript  Journals  of  the  executire  eonnoil.  v.'^^     '<  > 

*The  committee  on  the  part  of  the  counoil,reoommending  this  course,  con- 
sisted of  Chief  Justice  DeLanoey,  Joseph  Murray,  Daniel  Horsmanden,  and 
John  Moore..  On  the  part  of  the  house,  the  committee  consisted  of  j\Ir. 
Clarkson,  Captain  Biohards,  Migor  Van  Home,  Mr.  Crugor,  Mr.  Verplanok, 
Colonel  Beekman,  Captain  Livingston,  and  Colonel  Chambers. 


ilpi^Hil 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNBON,  BART. 


181 


live,  and  finally,  the  tnGmbore  of  the  assembly  fell  into  char 
discreditable  fends  among  themselves  touching  the  distri-  v.^-^ 
bution  of  the  public  burdens  among  their  respective  coun-  ^'*^* 
ties."  The  mixed  question  of  parliamentary  law  and  pre- 
rogative, arose  on  a  disagreement  between  the  legislative 
council  and  the  assembly,  upon  the  details  of  a  bill  au- 
thorizing an  emission  of  bills  of  credit  to  the  amount  of 
ten  thousand  pounds.  Before  the  introduction  of  the  bill, 
the  assembly  had  inquired  of  the  governor  whether  he 
bad  any  objection  to  an  emission  of  paper  money  to  meet 
the  exigencies  of  the  country ;  to  whu;h  question  the  proper 
answer  was  given  by  Mr.  Olinton,  that  "  when  the  bill  came 
to  him  he  would  declare  his  opinion."'  The  bill  was  there- 
fore introduced  and  passed  by  the  assembly ;  but  the  coun. 
oil,  disapproving  of  certain  of  its  provisions,  requested  a 
conference.  The  assembly,  however,  declared  that  inas- 
much as  it  was  a  money  bill,  they  would  consent  to  no  such 
course  upon  the  subject.  The  council  thereupon  summa- 
rily rejected  the  bill,  and  sent  up  an  address  to  the  govern- 
or, written  by  Uie  chief  justice,  BeLancey,  setting  forth 
their  reasons,  by  which  their  course  had  been  governed. 
One  of  the  objections  to  the  bill,  according  lo  this  repre- 
sentation, was  found  in  the  fact,  "that  the  money  proposed 
to  be  raised  by  the  bill  was  not  granted  to  his  m^esty,  or 
to  be  issued  by  warrants  in  council,  as  it  ought  to  have 
been,  and  as  has  usually  been  done."  This  objection  in- 
volved the  old  question  of  the  royal  prerogative — nothing 
more.  On  the  subject  of  the  right  claimed  by  the  assem- 
bly of  exclusive  power  over  iw?,  details  of  money  bills,  the 
address  asserted  "  the  equal  right  of  the  council  to  exercise 
their  judgments  upon  these  bills."  Various  other  ob- 
jections of  detail  were  suggested ;  but  the  two  points  spe- 
cified above,  were  the  only  grounds  of  principle  upon  which 
the  council  relied  in  justification  of  its  course,  Tet  the 
unreasonableness  of  the  assumption  of  the  house,  that  the 

'Smith's  jBrM«oryo/iV«w  ForA:, vol.  ii,  p.  94.         

'Ibid,  p.  96.  'ti>ji*ai' 1'.  uii.'  sir, 11..  .!i;'.;ij  ,'.>  '.  i .  ^f.'t- ■    ■       :.';  '),,     ti-,!;,-  ,,:    ' 


,1 


182 


Lira  or  IIR  WILLIAM  JOHMaOIT,  oaht. 


oRAr.  council  should  not  be  allowed  oven  to  point  out  and  rectify 
s-v— 'the  defectfi  of  anything  which  they  choMe  to  call  a  luonoy 
*'*••  bill,  wos  argued  at  considerablo  length.' 

''*'  JuHt  at  this  point  of  oolHsion,  the  qmall  pox,  which  hod 
driven  the  anfembly  fironi  the  city,  appeared  in  Greenwich, 
producing  a  panic  that  for  Hcvci.tl  days  entirely  arrested 
the  course  of  business.  The  assembly  prayed  for  a  roooHs 
from  tlie  ninth  of  March  to  the  twelfth  of  April,  and  ulno 
for  leave  to  a(^oum  their  sittings  to  some  other  place.  Ja- 
maica and  Brooklyn  were  suggested ;  but  in  die  opinion 
of  the  governor  the  demands  of  the  public  service  forbade 
so  long  an  mtcrregnum,  and  he  therefore  directed  their  ad- 
journment for  a  week,  then  to  meet  in  the  borough  of 
WoBtchcstor.  They  convened  there  accordingly ;  but  the 
inconvenience  of  the  locality  was  such  that  the  members 
begged  pornnasiou  to  adjourn,  oven  back  to  the  infectcu 
city  again,  rather  than  remain  where  they  were.  Ih  the 
eud  the  governor  directed  them  to  ai^ourn  to  Brooklyn,  at 
which  place  the  transaction  of  business  was  resumed  on 
the  twentieth  of  March,  on  which  day  an  address  to  the 
governor  was  ordered  to  bo  prepared,  !n  answer  to  that  of 
tlie  council  respecting  the  rejection  of  the  before  mentioned 
revenue  bill. 

VVhetlier  such  an  address  was  prepared  or  not,  the  joiit- 
nuls  of  the  assembly  afford  no  information ;  but  the  bill 
appears  to  have  died  between  the  two  houses.  Still,  the 
dangers  and  necessities  of  the  country  wore  such  as  to  for- 
bid inaction,  whatever  might  become  of  questions  of  pre- 
rogative, or  of  legislative  etiquette.  Letters  from  the  in- 
terior were  pouring  in  upon  the  governor  and  council 
full  of  alarming  reports,  and  asking  for  assistance  nt  vu* 
rious  points.  The  inhabitants  of  Kinderhook  and  Cluve- 
rack,  now  that  the  fort  at  Hoosic  had  been  destroyed,  und 
the  settlement  deserted,  petitioned  for  the  erection  of  u 
couple  of  block-houses  for  their  security ;  large  parties  of 

>  Journals  of  the  legisUtWe  oounoil,  from  the  proceedings  at  length. 


Lira  or  ilR  WILLIAM  JOIIVSON,   r.ART. 


188 


the  enemy  were  traveraing  the  countr)'  about  flaratof^a,  chap. 
the  garrison  of  which,  weak  and  uneacy,  threatened  de-s-^w 
lertion ;  parties  both  of  French  and  Indians  wore  infesting  ^^^^■ 
the  environs  of  Albany  and  Bchencctady,  destroying  pro- 
perty, and  killing  and  scalping,  or  snatching  into  captivity 
such  of  the  inhabitant  i  as  ventured  beyond  the  walls ;  tho 
emissaries  of  the  French,  of  whom  the  Jesuit  priest,  Jean 
Goour,  was  tho  leader,  were  holding  the  Six  Nations  in 
check,  and  preventing  them  from  going  upon  the  war-path, 
while  advices  were  received  from  the  Oan^joharie  castle 
that  the  governor  of  Canada  had  invited  the  Confederates 
to  a  meeting  with  him  at  Onondaga,  which  invitation  had 
been  accepted.^  The  settlements  in  the  interior,  not  ex- 
cepting the  considerable  towns  of  Albany  and  Schenecta- 
dy, were,  therefore,  in  a  state  of  general  panic.  A  stronger 
principle  than  that  of  prerogative,  if  not  than  that  of  po- 
litical liberty,  demanded,  with  irresistible  emphasis,  some 
efficient  action  from  the  legislature.  Before  the  close  of 
the  session,  therefore,  another  revenue  bill,  originating  in 
a  spirit  of  compromise,  and  yet  making  no  essential  con- 
cession on  the  part  of  the  representatives  of  the  people, 
was  passed  by  both  houses,  and  received  the  signature  of 
the  governor., 7  tii  ,^1^ /r  ;^j)turr  .tu^?  mil  na  *<.v  ni  iu^>^ii 
rtnThis  bill  provided  for  raising  a  supply  of  thirteen  thou- 
sand pounds,  by  a  tax  on  estates,  real  and  personal,  and  for 
emitting  bills  of  credit  to  the  same  amount  for  the  public 

■■    ■■  ■'  III    I  ■■         ■-  ■        I      ■  ■■       I       pi    I  i— ^^^  -— -.    I.  I        IH--i    ■  ■  II  I  I  II 

*  Mb.  journals  and  oorreapondenoe  of  the  exeoulive  oouncil.  Among  the 
letters  written  about  this  time  was  one  ttom  the  Indian  commissioners  stating 
that  certain  persons  for  a  suitable  compensation  were  willing  to  undertake 
to  bring  Jean  Goeur  from  the  Seneea  oountij  to  Albany.  The  commission- 
ers thought  it  an  important  object,  but  it  seems  not  to  have  been  acted  upon. 
A  letter  was  also  received  ftrom  Arent  Stevens,  a  landholder  residing  at  the 
Can^oharie  castle,  announcing  that  the  Caughnawaga  Indians  had  sent  m 
belt  Arom  OaAada,  desiiing  to  come  back  to  reside  in  their  native  valley. 
On  the  same  day  a  communication  was  received  from  John  Henry  Lydius, 
who  had  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Caughnawagas-,  proposing  a  soheme 
for  persuading  them  to  Uie  same  course.  But  these  suggestions  came  to 
nothing.   , .        ,   ,    . 


I  i::r?l|; 


Wl 


S'-^'P'  I*'' 


184 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


"^IT- 


CHAP.  service,  and  creating  a  sinking  fund  for  their  redemption.' 
wyl'  But  though  the  bill  was  passed  by  the  council  without 
1746.  amendment,  it  did  not  get  through  wholly  without  oppo- 
sition. Chief  Justice  DeLancey,  usually  among  the  most 
strenuous  supporters  of  the  prerogatives  of  the  crown,  it 
is  true,  yielded  his  hostility  to  the  popular  demand ;  but 
Mr.  Rutherford  recorded  his  protest  upon  the  journals  of 
the  council  at  length.  His  objections  were  manifold  as  to 
the  details  of  the  bill,  but  the  objection  in  chief  was  one 
of  principle.  The  bill,  he  contended,  proposed  a  method 
of  raising  a  revenue  which  should  be  resorted  to  only  in 
case  of  extreme  necessity ;  the  amount  proposed  to  be 
raised,  was  to  be  applied  wholly  to  the  object  6et  forth  in 
the  bill ; — ^the  points  of  defence  designated  would  be  en- 
tirely insufficient  for  the  protection  of  Albany  county  ;t— 
but  above,  and  more  than  all,  the  Assembly  had  in  the  bill 
encroached  upon  the  royal  prerogative  by  nominating  offi- 
cers  to  receive  and  apply  the  money  to  be  raised,  and  by 
designating  the  sites  of  the  defences  to  be  constructed, — 
duties  properly  belonging  to  the  commander-in-chief. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  majority  of  the  council  caused 
to  be  entered  upon  the  journals,  the  reasons  which  impelled 
them  to  vote  for  the  bill.  These  were,  in  chief,  the  exi- 
gencies  of  the  country  at  large,  and  especially  the  perilous 
condition  of  the  frontier, — ^the  enemy  having  appeared  in 
the  environs  both  of  Albany  and  Schenectady,  where  seve- 
ral bloody  outrages  had  been  committed.  In  answer  to 
Mr.  Rutherford's  objections  touching  the  prerogative,  the 
majority  of  the  council  said  that  the  provisions  objected  to 
had  been  inserted,  and  the  officers  designated  in  the  bill 

1  The  annual  tax  by  which  it  was  proposed  that  the  bills  should  be  re- 
deemed in  three  years,  amounted  to  the  sum  of  £4,881.  lOs.  8d  The  ap- 
portionment was  as  follows: — New  York  £1,444  8s.  lid. ;— rAlbany,  £622. 
8».  9J ;— Kings,  £254. 18*.  OJrfi— Queens,  £487.  9«.  5 Jrf ;— SuflFolk,  £433. 6«. 
8rf. ;— Richmond,  £131.  6*.  SJrf. ;— Westchester,  £240.  14«.  8Jrf. ;— Ulster, 
£893.  18*.  9}d;— grange,  £144.  8a.  lOJrf  ;.^DutoheBS,  £180.  llj.  IJrf;— To- 
tal, £4.331.  10«.  H 


LIFK  op  sir  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BARTl 


185 


named,  with  the  consent  of  the  governor.    It  will  be  at  chap. 
once  perceived  that  this  arrangement  with  the  executivo  ^-v--' 
was  a  mere  subterfiige.    The  victory  viras  with  the  repi*e-  *^*** 
sentatives  of  the  people.    And  it  was  signial ;  deserving  of 
special  note  as  marking  the  progress  of  the  great  princi- 
ples of  popular  libdriy.* 

The  general  assembly  had  no\ivr  b^eii  in  session,  'with'  a 
very  few  brief  intermissions,  for  nearly  a  twelvettionth,  attd 
although  it  had  done  much,  yet  the  fruits  of  its  lAbors  Wet« 
not  altogether  satisfactory.  In  addition  to  the  passage  of 
the  reveniie  bill  as  already  rehearsed,  a  resolution  had  b^en 
adopted  directing*  the  construction  of  sii  stifdn]^  block- 
houses, three  of' this  number  to  be' piatnitid' between 'the 
south-west  frontier  garrison  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  post 
at  Saratoga ;  and  the  other  thre:  between  Saratoga  and 
Fort  Will 'am  in  the  upper  Mohavvk  countiy.  The  appro- 
priation for  these  objects,  however,  had  been  diverted  from 
the  greater  and  more  essential  projects  of  a  substantial 
fortress  at  the  carrying-place, — orders  for  the  construction 
of  which  had  been  given  by  the  governor  early  in  the 
preceding  winter,  and  without  which  there  could  be  no  se- 
curity against  invasions  from  Crown  Point  at  the  pleasure 
of  its  commander.  One  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  were 
voted  for  repairing  the  works  at  Oswego  ;  three  thousand 
three  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds  were  directed  to  be 
raised  by  lottery,  to  be  applied  to  the  defences  of  the  city 
and  harbor  of  ITew  York ; — the  fort  at  Schenectady  was 
directed  to  be  repaired ; — a  corps  of  rangers  were  to  be  or- 
ganized for  the  protection  of  the  western  lines  of  Ulster 
and  Orange  counties ; — ^the  militia  laws  were  amended  with 
a  view  to  their  greater  vigor,  in  conformity  with  the  wishes 
of  the  governor ; — and  the  resolution  of  the  preceding 
session,  offering  a  bounty  upon  scalps,  was  enacted  into  a 
law.  But  although  the  fortress  of  Louisburg  was  threat- 
ened with  a  formidable  attack  from  France,  and  although 
Governor  Shirley,   Sir  "William  Pepperell,  and  Admiral 

I  See  the  proceedings  at  large  in  the  journals  of  the  legislative  oounoi^. 
24 


iK.;'::,-'^#i^'' 


186 


Un  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JQHNBONy  BABT. 


OHAP.  Warren  had  been  pressing  Mr.  Clinton  for  months  to  send 
wv^  forward  the  quota  of  reinforcements  which  New  York  had 
1T4«.  teen  required  to  supply,  yet  the  assembly  peremptorily 
refused  a  compliance  with  the  demand.    They  would  not 
even  provide  a  convoy  to  gu^rd  a  trani^ort  ship  then  in 
the  harbor  of  !N'ew  York,  destined  to  the  assistance  of  that 
garrison,  which  had  been  greatly  weakened  by  fever  and 
- 1      other  causes.    There  had  indeed  been  fW)m  the  first  a  re- 
'        luctanoe  in  the  assembly  to  cooperate  with  the  'N&w  Eng- 
land colonies  in  regard  to  the  conquest  of  Cape  Breton, 
not  wholly  susceptible  of  explanation ;  but  for  their  present 
course  at  least  a  plausible  excuse  was  found  in  the  weak 
l»4wq?Oi«4QQ«4itjwaof.1iieif,!9STO  ,,  ,,  , 

■■*■■     ■  -     ;''-^44«^ffe%W43«#3^|^'5^ 

'V.. 

1(> 


■' ■ — "••       -  --,,...■-.,  ..i^.  •..,.„,.,  ';.-^.. ...f-.i..Jir.;i;;:i,wX.:::;,:;.  ...i.,»...-u^..;:.  ;, 


i  t 


■';    J '5 


The  period  is  now  approached  at  which  thd  long,  ardu-  chap. 
ous,  and  in  many  respects  brilliant  public  career  of  Sir,_^ 
William  Johnson  commenced.  During  the  stirring  scenes  1746. 
rehearsed  in  the  two  preceding  chapters,  Mr.  Johnson 
had  been  pushing  his  fortu;aes  as  a  private  citizen,  with  a  . 
degree  of  discernment  and  energy  that  marked  him  as  no 
common  man.  His  removal  from  the  south  to  the  north 
Bide  of  the  Mohawk  river,  has  already  been  noted.  In 
the  year  1744  he  erected  a  valuable  flouring  mill  upon  the 
brisk  stream  falling  into  the  Mohawk  about  two  miles 
west  of  the  Chucktanunda  creek,  in  the  town  of  Amster- 
dam,—'Where  he  also  built  an  elegant  stone  mansion  for 
his  own  residence ;  conferring  upon  the  estate  the  name  of 
Mount  Johfison.  li^ot  only  thus  early  had  he  b^ome 
known  to  Governor  Clinton,  but  a  correspondence  waa 
shortly  afterward  commenced  between  thtim  which  soon 
became  close  and  confidential;  and  their  acquaintance 
ultimately  ripened  into  the  relations  of  cordial  intimacy. 
It  is  very  probable  that  Johnson's  introduction  to  the  new 
governor  at  so  early  a  period  of  his  administration,  was 
effected  by  Mr.  DeLancey,  the  chief  justice,  whose  daugh- 
ter it  will  be  remembered  was  the  wife  of  Sir  Peter  War- 
ren, and  consequently  the  aunt,  by  marriage,  of  the  young 
adventurer.  Mr.  Clinton,  almost  immediately  on  coming 
to  the  government,  had  resigned  himself  passively  in- 
to the  hands  of  the  chief  justice ;  *  and  that  sagacious 
jurisconsult,  would  scarce  be  slow  to  advance  the  fortunes 
of  a  family  connexion,  whose  talents,  sagacity,  and  enter- 


I 


i^vi 


'Vide'JfM*.  Hitt.  CoUeetUmt,  vol.  xiii,  p.  79. 


WJj3i  lt|ni?.(,rQ*rv 


188 


til's  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  ^ARTi 


f/^'^ 


ih  ■ 


.7 


M> 


Ofur.  prise  pointed  him  out  as  a  man  who  might  one  day  be  of 

Wy-/ importance  in  sustaining  his  own  interests.      Political 

1746.  friendships,  however,   are  seldom  constant  or  enduring ; 

and  it  will  be  seen  hereafter  that  the  subsequent  relations 

—at  least  for  a  time — between  DeLancey  and  Johnson, 

form  no  exception  to  the  remark. 

During  the  years  1744  and  1745,  Mr.  Johnson's  atten- 
tion must  have  been  closely  applied  to  his  own  commer- 
cial affairs,  alfeady  widely  extended.  From  his  corre- 
spondlence  it  appears  that  he  wto  in  both  those  years  often 
shipping  furis  to  London,  and  was  likewise  engaged  in  the 
flour  trade  with  the  West  India  islands, — making  ship- 
ments also  to  Gurracoa  and  Halifax.'  Still  his  time  was 
not  thus  exclusively  occupied,  since  it  appears  that  in  the 
taohth  of  April,  1746,  he  was  commissioned  one  of  his 
majesty's  justices  of  the  peace  for  the  county  of  Albany-^ 
being  the  first  official  appointment  conferr6d  lipon  him.' 
He  Was  moreover  beginning  to  pari;icipate  actively  in  the 
political  conceims  of  the  colony,  his  influence  being  put  in 
ifequisi^bn  In  the  autumn  of  the  last  mentioned  year,  to  aid 
in  the  return  of  his  Mend  Mr.  Holland  to  the  general  as- 
seliibly  for  the  township  of  Schenectady.  The  election 
of  thi&  gentleman  was  strongly  desired  by  the  governor,— 
a  reason  of  itself  sufficient  to  enlist  the  exertions  of 
Johnson.  Holland  was  returned ;  but  in  order  to  annoy 
the  governor,  the  assembly,  upon  a  flimsy  pretext,  insuffi- 
cient in  law,  and  in  every  other  respect  entirely  indefensi- 
ble, excluded  him  from  his  seat,  as  has  been  mentioned  in 
a  note  upon  a  preceding  pagfe.  Justly  indignant  at  this 
unjustifiable  procedure  toward  his  favorite,  Mr.  Clinton 
manifested  his  feelings  by  the  acrimony  of  his  message 
terminating  the  session.  The  rejection  of  Mr.  Holland 
was  nevertheless  the  making  of  his  political  fortunes,  in- 
asmuch as  it  procured  for  him  the  mayoralty  of  the  city 
of  New  York  and  a  seat  at  the  council  board. 


I  Private  oorreBpondenoe  in  manuacript. 

*  Manuscript  letter  of  Edward  Holland  enolosing  the  oonunusion. 


LIFB  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


/ 

l8d 


i^/As  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  the  date  of  Mr*  chaf. 
Johnson's  maniage,  so  likewise  have  I  founa  it  impossible  w^ 
to  aseei^in  the  time  of  his  wife's  decease.  It  has  always  ^^^^■ 
been  understood  that  she  died  young ;  but  a  few  years  af- 
ter their  union ;  and  before  her  husband  had  acquired 
either  civil  or  military  renown ;  yet  not  until  after  she  had 
givdtt  birth  to  a  son,— afterward  Sir  John  Johnson, — and 
to  two  daughters, — ^Mary  and  Nancy.  But  although  the 
exact  time  of  her  death  cannot  be  determined,  there  is: 
reason  to  believe  that  it  took  place  at  least  as  early  as  the 
summer  of  1745.  It  has  already  been  noted,  more  than 
once,  that  it  was  Mr.  Johnson's  policy  to  cultivate  an  ino 
timate  acquaintance  with  the  Indians.  Being  largely  en-  ^ 
gaged  in  commerce  with  them,  his  facilities  to  that  end 
were  great ;  and  no  white  man  perhaps,  ever  succeded  in 
more  entirely  winning  their  confidence.  He  mingled 
with  them  freely ;  joined  in  their  sports ;  and  at  pleasure 
assumed  both  their  costumes  and  their  manners j  and  cast 
them  aside,  as  circumstances  might  require.  He  was  con- 
sequently fast  gaining  an  ascendency  over  them  upon 
which  the  French  looked  with  exceeding  jealousy.  It  be- 
came therefore  an  object  with  the  latter  either  to  cut,  or  to 
take  him  off— an  object  which  it  will  presently  appear  was 
seriously  meditated  in  the  autumn  of  1745.  Among  the 
private  letters  of  Mr.  Johnson  escaping  the  ravages  of 
time  and  chance,  is  one  from  Mh  James  Wilson,  of 
Albany,  addressed  to  "  William  Johnson  Esquire,"  and 
dated  "Novembei-  26th,  1745,"  from  which  the  following 
passage  is  extracted :— "  Mother  desires  you  to  come  down 
and  live  here  this  winter,  until  these  troublesome  times 
are  a  little  over.  They  have  kept  a  room  on  purpose  for 
you,  and  they  beg  that  you  will  send  down  the  best  of 
your  things  directly.  There  is  roAn  enough  for  your 
servants,  if  you  will  bring  them  down.  I  would  not  have 
you  stay  at  your  own  house,  for  the  French  have  tbld  our 
Indians  that  they  will  have  you  dead  or  alive,  because  you 
are  a  relatioh  6f  Captain  Warren,  their  great  adversary. 


i 
h 

i 


%  •',)  t 


1 , 0 


^  ##  ^  " 


190 


UVI  or  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSOIT,  BAR7. 


s;  ';■<■  I  ^  *. 


V. 


cHA».  Therefore  I  beg  you  will  not  be  too  resolute  and  Btay.    If 
WyL^you  will  not  come  yourself,  I  beg  you  will  send  your 
1746.  books  and  papers,  and  the  best  of  your  things."    The  en- 
tire silence  of  this  letter  in  regard  to  Mrs.  Johnson,  and 
the  appropriation  of  only  a  single  room  for  his  occupancy, 
induces  the  supposition  that  she  must  have  died  previous 
to  the  time  when  it  was  wriUen.    Still  this  conclusion  is 
merely  conjectural ;  and  to  say  the  truth,  but  little  can  be 
'^     ascertained  respecting  Mr.  Johnson's  domestic  relations 
for  several  years  of  this  portion  of  his  life. 

Besuming  then,  the  course  of  public  events :  The  views 
of  Governor  Shirley  were  comprehensive,  and  in  planning 
the  expedition  against  Cape  Breton,  they  had  by  no  means 
been  confined  to  the  reduction  of  that  island.  His  design 
comprehended  nothing  short  of  another  effort  for  the  entire 
subjugation  of  Canada, — an  object  that  had  several  times 
been  attempted,  but  always  without  success.  The  conquest 
of  Louisburg  by  the  provincials,  aided  by  the  fleet,  af- 
forded strong  encouragement  for  attempting  the  larger 
euterpriae.  With  this  great  design  uppermost  in  his  mind, 
Shiiiey  made  a  visit  to  Louisburg  after  its  £^11,  to  confer 
upon  the  project  with  Pepperell  and  Warren.  In  the  flush 
of  their  late  brilliant  success,  his  views  were  warmly  second- 
ed by  those  officers ;  and  such  representations  were  made 
to  the  ministers  at  home  as  prevailed  upon  them  to  approve 
the  undertaking.  A  circular  was  accordingly  issued  by  the 
duke  of  Newcastle,  on  the  ninth  of  April,  1746,  directed 
to  the  governors  of  all  the  British  American  colonies, 
south  to  Virginia  inclusive,  requiring  them  to  raise  as  many 
men  as  they  could  spare,  and  form  them  into  companies  of 
one  hundred  each,  to  be  in  readiness  for  taking  the  field. 
The  design  was  to  attack  the  enemy's  temtory  simultane- 
ously from  two  directions.  The  New  England  troops,  to 
be  first  in  motion,  were  to  proceed  to  Louisburg,  there  to 
be  joined  by  a  squadron  of  ships  of  war  with  a  large  body 
of  land  forces  from  England.  These  combined  forces  were 
fibm,^  proceed  south  and.asqeiid  the  St^Lf^wxejape  agaiast 


Uft  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


191 


Quebeo ;  while  the  provincial  troops  of  New  York  and  the  chap. 
other  colonies  upon  which  the  requisition  had  been  made,  wy-* 
together  with  the  Iroquois  Indians,  provided  they  could  be^'^*®- 
brought  heartily  into  the  service,  after  being  concentrated 
at  Albany,  were  to  make  a  descent  upon  Grown  Point  and 
Montreal.  The  expedition  from  Louisburg  was  to  be  com- 
manded by  General  Bir  John  St.  Clair,  acting  in  conjunction 
with  Sir  Peter  Warren  and  Governor  Shirley.  The  com- 
mand of  the  other  division  was  committed  to  Brigadier 
General  Gooch,  the  lieutenant-governor  of  Virginia,  who, 
Biz  years  before,  had  signalized  himself  in  the  unsuccess- 
ful expedition  agfdnst  Carthagena.  Sir  William  Pepperell 
and  Sir  Peter  Warren  both  visited  Boston  early  in  the 
spring,  to  confer  jointly  with  Shirley  upon  the  business  of 
the  enterprise;*  but  Warren  was  shortly  ordered  home, 
where,  on  the  fourteenth  <day  of  July  he  was  advanced  to 
the  rank  of  rear  admiral  of  the  white.'  His  successor  in 
the  command  of  the  American  squadron,  was  Commodore 
Enowles.  But  this  officer  proposed  remaining  at  Louift* 
burg,  so  that  all  the  preparatory  arrangements  devolved 
upon  Shirley."  'ta*r>  i/ciir^ii  i^>*f«j,mm  i^^ 
;  The  project  of  this  formidable  enterprise  hiod  been  com- 
municf^^d  to  the  government  of  New  York  by  Mr.  Shirley, 
as  early  as  the  second  week  in  January,  and  was  received 
with  high  fkvor.^  The  general  assembly  met  again  on  the 
third  day  of  June,  in  Brooklyn,  being  deterred  from  sitting 
in  the  city  by  the  small-pox..  A  message  from  the  governor 
informed  them  that  during  the  recess  such  had  been  the 
alarming  state  of  affiurs  at  the  north,  that  an  additional 
force  of  three  hundred  men  had  been  drafted  from  the  sev- 
eral counties,  and  ordered  to  Albany  for  the  protection  of 

>■- ■^■-ii^  — I      .in^^^L.^. Ill    I  ■»  *  I  »...i  1.  I  .  ,.'■    ■■     ■■  I     ■     — ■    ■ y ■.■^■■■■. 

^  *Belkn»p. 

'Smith's  Shtorjf  Mja  it  yrta  spproTod  by  the  general  assembly  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  Febmary,  for  which  statement  the  author  had  the  authority 
of  a  message  from  Qovemor  Clinton  of  Jane  six ;  but  the  legislatiTe  jour- 
nals do  not  aastain  the  assertion. 


n 


-i     ■      ■  ■!. 


J 


'3r  ■" 


I  , 


^*^ll 


19^ 


:i  *■ 


LI7B  07  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  the  frontier. 


1746 


The  exigency  had  fully  warranted  Buch  an 
exercise  of  discretionary  power  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
or; for  the  records  of  the  privy  council  discilose  the  fact 
that  the  moat  urgent  letters  for  assistance  had  been  received 
from  the  Indian  commissioners  at  Albany,  in  consequence 
of  the  murders  and  scalpings  perpetrated  in  that  neighbor- 
hood ;  and  on  the  very  day  when  the  legislature  reassem- 
bled, an  account  was  transmitted  from  the  commissioners 
of  a  skirmish  between  some  of  the  northern  settlers  and  a 
party  of  French  and  Indians,  in  whiich  one  of  the  latter  was 
killed.  The  assembly  readily  voted  the  necessary  supplies 
for  the  exigency,  increasing  the  amount  for  the  support  of 
two  hundred  levies  more  than  had  previously  been  called 
into  service,  thirty  of  whom  were  to  be  stationed  in  Kin- 
derhook)  and  the  residue  between  Albany  and  Schenec- 
tady. Fifty  Indians  were  Ukewiseto  be  employed  if  th^y 
could  be  raised  for  the  better  securjity  of  the  Jast  mentioned 
towii.  But  the  assistance  of  the  Indians  was  doubtful,—- 
the  commissioners  having  ascertaini$d  atan  interview  with 
several  of  their  chiefs  that  they  were  reluctont  to  any  bel- 
ligerent action  until  after  a  grand  council  of  t^eir  warriors 
eould;beheld  at  Onondaga-V.l.iff/'rr'j  «trfj'to  iiyt^Y^qnilT 
,7  On  the  sixth  day  of  June,  a  message  by  the  hand  of  Mr. 
Goldsborow  Banyar,  who,  four  days  previously,  had  been 
appointed  deputy  secretary  to  the  colony,  required  the 
presence  of  the  assembly  in  the  cOtmcil-chamber,  where 
the  governor  announced  in  a  speech  the  receipt  of  the  be- 
fore-mentioned circular  from  the  duke  of  Newcastle,  and 
requested  the  cooperation  of  the  legislature  in  all  measures 
necessary  for  a  prompt  atd  efficient  prosecMion  of .  the  in- 
tended campaign.  An  outline  of  the  plsin  of  the  intended 
double  invasion  of  the  French  possessions,  has  already  been 
given.  All  needful  information  was  imparted  to  the  as- 
sembly upon  the  subject,  and  a  long  letter  from  the  duke 
of  Newcastle  was  also  lai4  before  the  council,  stating  that 
General,  St  Clair  woijld  sail  from  England  wiih  five  bat- 


>  ManuBoript  records  of  the  oounoil  boar^. 


<'iJ    !.■ 


/■ 


LIFB  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART*. 


198 


tallions  of  regulars,  who  were  to  be  joined  at  LouisburgOfur* 
by  two  regiments  more  from  Gibraltar,  and  urging  it  upon  wyw 
the  colony  of  New  York  not  only  to  put  forth  its  utmost  *'**' 
strength  upon  the  occasion,  but  if  possible  to  obtain  the 
active  cobperation  of  the  Indians.^ 

These  communications  were  received  in  the  best  possible 
spirit,  both  bj  the  legislature  and  the  people.  There  was 
indeed  universal  rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of  speedily  crush- 
ing the  power  of  France  in  America, — it  being  evident  to 
all  that  there  could  be  no  permanent  repose  until  that  work 
should  be  accomplished.  In  the  council,  Mr.  Justice  Hors- 
manden  moved  the  address,  and  Mr.  Clarkson  in  the  as- 
sembly, both  of  which  breathed  a  dutifhl  degree  of  loyalty, 
and  a  lofty  spirit  of  patriotism.  Especially  did  the  assem> 
bly  pledge  itself  that  hearts  and  hands  should  be  employed 
in  the  great  work  proposed,  and  that  its  proceedings  should 
be  conducted  with  such  unanimity  and  despatch  as  should 
attest  their  duty,  loyalty,  and  gratitude  to  his  majesty.  A 
kindred  feeling  prevailed  in  every  direction,  both  with  the 
local  government,  and  the  people.  True  indeed,  the  legis- 
lature of  Massachusetts  had  in  the  outset  manifested  some 
disinclination  to  participate  in  the  enterprise,  burdened  oa 
she  was  with  the  debt  incurred  by  the  Louisburg  expedition, 
not  yet  reimbursed  by  the  parent  government  ;*  but  the  ar- 
guments of  Shirley,  strengthened  by  the  out-breaks  of  the 
Canadian  Indians  upon  their  frontiers,  overcame  their  re- 
luctance, and  all  was  now  enthusiasm  among  the  people, — 
the  New  England  colonies  directing  their  energies  toward 
the  eastern  division  of  the  expedition.  Governor  Hamil- 
ton, of  New  Jersey,  wrote  on  the  second  of  July,  that  that 
little  colony  had  voted  to  raise  five  hundred  men  for  the 
enterprise,  and  a  contribution  of  two  thousand  pounds  for 
the  military  chest.  General  Gooch  wrote  from  Virginia, 
enclosing  a  bill  of  exchange  of  three  hundred  pounds,  with 


' 


n 


*  Graham's  EvtUtry  of  Korth  Ameriea.    ■-  ■■ 

*  Manusoript  reoorda  of  th«  oounpil  board. 

26 


'4^ 


'  j«il* »; 


194 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  directions  that  it  be  applied  to  the  purchase  of  presents  for 

y^  the  Indians.* 

1746.  iiiii..  HorsmandeQ,  from  a  committee  of  the  privy  coun- 
cil, appointed  to  consider  and  report  as  to  the  best  measuroB 
to  be  adopted  in  furtherance  of  the  great  enterprise,  madu 
an  elaborate  report  on  the  thirteenth  of  June.  The  active 
cooperation  of  the  Six  l^ations  was  regarded  by  the  commit- 
tee as  an  object  of  high  moment ;  to  secure  which  the  com- 
missioners at  Albany  were  advised  to  dispatch  an  interpret- 
er, with  two  assistants,  into  the  Indian  country,  to  dance  the 
war  dance  among  them  by  way  of  rekindling  a  military 
spirit,  especially  with  the  young  warriors ;  and  also  to  in- 
vite the  chiefs  and  prominent  v  warriors  of  the  entire  confede- 
racy to  meet  the  governor  in  i:  grand  council,  to  be  holden 
at  an  early  day  in  Albany.  Presents  were  likewise  recom- 
mended upon  a  liberal  scale,  to  be  given,  not  as  compeo- 
sation,  but  as  incentives  to  action, — the  Indians  always  fignt- 
ingfor  honor,  and  scou^ng  the  |dea  of  going  upon  the 
war-path  for  pay.*     .•■;    -  ^  „   .: 

>  Four  days  afterward,  the  house  of  assembly  asked  of  the 
council  a  committee  of  conference  for  the  purpose  of  joint 
deliberation  upon  the  condition  of  the  colony.  The  request 
was  acceded  to ;  and  every  braiich  of  the  government  unit- 
ed heart  and  hand  in  every  possible  measure  for  advancing 
the  grand  design.'  An  act  was  promptly  passed  the  more 
effectually  to  prevent  the  exportation  of  provisions  and  war- 
like stores.  In  order  to  the  descent  upon  Crown  Point  and 
Montreal,  a  fleet  of  bateaux  was  essential  for  the  naviga- 
tion of  Lakes  George  and  Ghamplain.  Stephen  Bayard  and 
Edward  Holland,  members  of  the  council,  were  deputed 
to  superintend  the  building  of  the  bateaux.  They  report- 
ed on  the  sixth  of  July  that  the  ship-builders  had  all  refused 

1  Manuscript  oounoil  minutes. 

*  The  oommittM  on  the  part  of  the  council  consisted  of  Chief  Justice  De 
Lancey,  and  Messrs.  Van  Gourtlandt,  Horsmanden,  Murray,  and  More.  The 
chief  justice,  however,  seems  to  have  acted  no  very  efficient  part  during  the 
whole  year, —  for  reasons  which  will  appear  hereafter.     ''"*  i'W'-j^mKnU 


/       ^ 


LIVl  or  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


196 


to  perform  the  work,  under  the  pretext  that  they  were  era-  oha». 
ployed  in  the  execntion  of  prior  engagements.  This  con-  w^l^ 
duct  of  the  naval  architects  formed  an  exception  to  the  *'*•• 
general  disposition  of  the  people ;  and  a  bill  was  forthwith 
introduced,  and  expeditiously  passed  into  a  law,  authorizing 
the  impressment  into  the  public  service,  of  all  ship  and 
house-carpenters,  joiners,  sawyers,  and  their  several  ser- 
vants, and  all  other  artificers  and  laborers  whoso  assistance 
might  be  required  for  the  state,  together  with  horses, 
wagons,  and  whatsoever  else  might  be  required  to  forward 
the  expedition.*  Resolutions  were  adopted  allowing  a 
bounty  of  six  pounds  for  the  enlistment  of  each  able-bodied 
man  into  the  king's  service,  over  and  above  his  pay ;  six  ' 
thousand  pounds  were  appropriated  for  the  purchase  of  pro- 
visions  for  the  colony's  levies ;  three  hundred  men  were  by 
law  directed  to  be  detached  for  the  army  from  the  city  of 
Albany;  and  to  cover  the  expense  of  these  and  other 
appropriations  demanded  by  the  exigence,  a  tax  of  forty 
thousand  pounds  was  imposed  upon  the  real  and  personal 
estate  of  the  colony,  and  an  emission  of  bills  of  credit  au- 
thorized to  enable  the  government  to  anticipate  the  avails 
of  the  tax.  Indeed  the  general  issembly  hesitated  at  no 
appropriation  that  was  required,  save  for  the  Indian  service, 
and  for  the  transportation  of  troops  and  military  stores.  In 
respect  to  the  latter,  they  refused  to  advance  money  to  the 
crown,  even  upon  loan,  preferring  to  raise  it  by  bills  of  ex- 
change,— "  a  hint  which  Mr.  Clinton  improved  greatly  to 
his  own  emolument. '"  With  respect  to  the  Indian  service, 
they  conceived  that  inasmuch  as  the  grand  council  which 
the  governor  had  already  summoned  at  Albany,  pursuant 
to  the  recommendation  of  his  privy  council,  was  to  be  con- 
vened for  the  common  benefit  of  all  the  exposed  colonies, 
they  ought  all  to  contribute  toward  the  heavy  expenses  to 
be  incurred,  not  in  presents  only,  but  for  their  clothing, 
arms  and  subsistence.    Toward  these  objects  Virginia  had 

I  Journals  of  the  legislatiTe  oounoil. 

*Smith,  vol.  ii,  p.  99.  '  -■■  ■         .  i   ;.,,.■  v,,.. 


!'    /#t<^ 


ifi 


iM 


I.    !■ 


f,  ( 


tHp] 


^%  ttfii  09  nil  WILLIAM  iORlrsoir,  bait. 

o^-  •tan»''^<ly  made  a  t  »fne  remittance ;  but  Connecticut  oiid 

^-v*'  I*^tiiiM.yiviiiiia  had  deciiucd  making  any  contribution ;  and  by 

1^**-  a  meflsjijife  of  the  ninth  of  J  iiJ*    Governor  Clinton  informoii 

the  a«wjmi»Iy  that  no  answers  had  been  received  from  he 

other  colonitiH  f  o  the  applications  addressed  to  them  upuu 

tiie  <iibjeci 

NeTerthelesB  the  meauB  A)r  holding  the  council  were  not 
wanting ;  and  having  in  these  matters  discharged  its  duties 
to  the  public  sertlce,  the  oieembly  cloHed  its  session  on  the 
fifteenth  of  Jnlyi  Not,  however,  until  after  a  joint  addrcHH 
of  the  two  houses  had  been  voted  to  the  king,  congratulating 
his  majesty  upon  the  defeat  of  the  rebels  engaged  in  the 
cause  of  the  Pretender,  by  the  army  unden  the  duko  o' 
Cumberland.*  The  mover  of  the  resolution  for  this  address 
was  the  chief  justice ;  but  the  joumals  disclose  the  uuuuual 
circumstance,  that  he  was  not  placed  at  the  head  of  {the 
committee,  which  was  organized  thus — ^Philip  Livingston, 
Chief  Justice  DeLancey,  and  Mr.  Justice  Horsmanden. 
*Fh^  active  labor  seems  to  have  been  performed  by  the  latter. 
Meantime  great  apprehension  prevailed  in  Kew  England 
at  the  inBfction  of  the  parent  government,  from  which  much 
httd  be^n  piDmised,  an:,  more  was  expected,  and  without 
whose  powerful  <K>i$neration  an  enterprise  so  vast  as  that 

fcA    fc       ■    ■         ■*— i—  blfcft  «  I  l<       I     II.    I     I     I       I      *    I     I  ■    ■    H    ■^  ■■■■  !■      I  ■     I  I  ■!  ■!         I    I  ^11  .1  I.-  I  I    I 

>  Tk«  battle  of  CuUodea.  The  young  Prince,  Charles  Edward,  called  the 
Pretender,  haring  defeated  the  royal  forces  under  Sir  John  Cope  at  Preeton- 
pans,  had  penetrated  a  short  distance  into  Kngland ;  hut  finding  the  people 
unanimous  against  him,  he  was  oompelled  to  fUl  baok  rapidly  into  SeotUnd. 
On  his  r«tani  he  routed  Oener«l  Hawley  at  Falkirk,  but  the  approach  of  the 
Axke  of  Cnnberland  put  an  ^d  to  bis  triumph.  He  retreated  before  the 
royal  army,  and  at  last  the  hostile  forces  met  in  the'fleld  of  CuUoden  to  de- 
cide the  fate  of  the  kingdom.  The  Scotch  fought  with  ntrcustomed  brarery 
but  the  English  prevailed,  and  the  unfortunate  youth  .  '  •>'  \.'H\  difficulty 
from  the  battle  where  he  left  liiree  thousand  of  his  i.:li  .,  'i  iherents 
dead.  Though  a  large  reward  was  offered  for  theh()llit^f  iJi"  aiuatrious 
fugitive,  who  haid  thus  to  combat  against  want  and  temptation,  yet  the 
peasants  of  Scotland  pitied  his  misfortunes,  and  even  those  of  his  enemies 
^vho  were  acquainted  with  his  retreat,  kept  inviolate  the  fatal  secret,  and 
,  biln  tliey  condemned  his  ambition,  commiserated  his  distresses.  He  at  last 
0  3,  A  to  Gt .  Maloes,  and  never  again  rvTisited  the  British  dominions,— 
* V  "*8  *«*■  '■  -'Mice  in  1788. 


Lin  Of  Sm  WILLIAM  JOnVBON,  BART.  Mi 

which  had  been  projected,  couM  not  within  themBelvos  be  oka*. 
cnrried  forward  by  the  oolonien.  It  huB  b<«on  already  utatod  w^-* 
that  eight  battalions  of  regular  m-ups  liad  betn  promiaod  ^''^ 
by  the  parent  government,  to  rendezvo  at  Louisburg. 
The  ministera  had  not  speciticd  the  contingonl  (»f  troops 
required  from  the  respective  colonics,  contenting  theraHul  vt^ 
by  announcing  the  wbh  of  the  king  tliat  the  total  levies 
shonld  not  fall  short  of  five  thousand  men  ;*  but,  tired  with 
ar  '  >ii  1  to  preserve  the  laurels  they  had  won  at  Capo  Bre- 
y.n  ,  h<  rovinces  vied  with  each  other  in  putting  forth 
their  strength  for  the  achievement  of  a  yet  greater  exploit, 
I  ltd  the  forces  embodied  with  alacrity  exceeded  by  far  thu 
tixpectations  entertained  at  home.  New  Halnpshire  voted 
to  raise  one  thousand  men,  and  more  if  they  could  be  en- 
listed— ^with  a  bounty  of  thirty  pounds  currency  and  a 
bluiket  to  each  recruit'  Of  this  number  eight  hundred 
were  ready  for  embarkation  by  the  first  of  July.  Mati- 
saohusetts  voted  three  thousand  five  hundred  men;  Con. 
necticnt  one  thousand ;  and  Rhode  Island  three  hundred. 
But  such  was  the  spirit  of  the  people  that  a  yet  larger  num- 
ber were  actually  enlisted.  These  all  were  destined  for 
Lonisburg,  and  thenee  for  the  assault  of  Quebec.  For  the 
forces  to  be  directed  upon  Grown  Point  and  Montreal,  New 
York  raised  sixteen  hundred  men ;  New  Jersey  five  hun- 
dred ;  Pennsylvania  four  hundred,  though  not  by  the  act 
of  its  Quaker  government,  but  by  a  popular  act  unsanctioned 
by  its  executive ;  Maryland  three  hundred ;  and  Virginia 
one  hundred ; — making  the  grand  total  of  provincials  eight 
thousand  two  hundred.  But  of  the  promised  assistance 
from  England,  two  re^ments  only  were  sent ;  and  these 
from  Gibraltar,  to  relieve  the  New  England  men  who  had 
garrisoned  Louisburg  from  the  day  of  the  conquest.  Of 
other  reinforcements  none  came ;  neither  the  general  who 
was  to  command ;  nor  fleet ;  nor  orders.     The  New  Eng- 


1  Grshame. 

'  Belknap  sUtes  the  number  thus ;  but  Hutchinson,  in  a  note,  affirms  that 
New  Hampshire  «oted  to  raise  only  fire  hundred.  ,  ,.  v  ^  ,^:)  , 


I*  #••  'I- 


198 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  land  levies  were  mustered  and  prepared  for  embarkation, — 
w^  the  transport  vessels,  moreover,  being  in  readiness  to  receive 
1746.  them.  But  their  ardor,  after  weeks  of  cruel  suspense,  was 
doomed  to  a  sad  disappointment  by  the  inaction  of  minis- 
ters. Admiral  Warren,  after  his  visit  with  Pepperell  to 
Boston  for  consultation  with  Mr.  Shirley,  had  sailed  for 
England.  It  was  now  mid-summer,  and  neither  troops  n©r 
tidings  arriving  from  home,  it  was  evident  that  the  season 
was  already  too  far  advanced  to  allow  the  farther  prosecu- 
tion of  that  branch  of  the  expedition  destined  against  Que- 
bec ;  since  it  was  impossible  that  a  fleet  could  now  reach 
Louisburg  from  England  in  season  to  justify  an  attempt  to 
ascend  the  St.  Lawrence.  Under  these  circumstances,  al- 
though not  without  deep  chagrin,  that  important  feature 
of  the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  The  bcrange  inaction  of 
the  parent  government  on  that  occasion,  has  been  variously, 
though  never  satisfactorily  accounted  for.  That  a  feeling 
of  jealousy  at  the  growing  strength  of  the  colonies,  was 
awakened  in  England  by  the  conquest  of  Louisburg,  had 
been  apparent  almost  from  the  moment  of  its  fall ;  and  co- 
temporary  politicians  were  not  wanting,  who  attributed  the 
inaction  of  1746  to  a  feeling  on  the  part  of  ministers,  that 
it  might  after  all  be  as  well  to  allow  Canada  unconquered 
to  remain  as  a  check  upon  its  young  and  vigorous  Anglo- 
Saxon  neighbor.  The  excuse  oftered,  has  been,  that  min- 
isters had  reason  to  suspect  that  the  armament  which  the 
French  were  ostensibly  preparing  for  the  reconquest  of 
Cape  Breton,  and  possibly  for  the  invasion  of  some  of  the 
English  colonies,  was  in  reality  intended  for  the  invasion 
of  Great  Britain  itself.^  Be  all  this  as  it  may,  it  was  still 
believed  that  by  uniting  the  Eastern  levies  with  the  forces 
collecting  in  New  York  for  a  descent  upon  Crown  Point,  a 
combined  movement  might  be  made  in  that  direction  which 
could  not  well  fail  of  success.  The  New  England  forces 
were  accordingly  directed  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness 
to  concentrate  upon  Albany. 


>  Urahame. 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


199 


But  this  scheme  in  its  turn,  was  disconcerted,  and  the  chap. 
anticipated  march  for  Albany  was  arrested  by  serious  w,^-^ 
alarms  from  the  opposite  direction.  It  was  known  that  ^'*®- 
France  had  been  making  great  preparations, — not,  as  some 
have  affected  to  believe,  for  the  invasion  of  England,  but 
for  the  recovery  of  Louisburg,  and  the  conquest  of  Nova 
Scotia, — ^with  the  ulterior  design,  as  was  apprehended,  of 
ravaging  the  sea  coasts  of  the  English  colonies,  from  An- 
napolis-Royal to  Georgia.'  The  vigilance  with  which 
Rochelle,  where  the  preparations  were  making,  had  been 
watched  by  the  English,  had  not  prevented  the  enemy's 
fleet  from  getting  to  sea,  which  it  succeeded  in  accomplish- 
ing on  the  twenty-second  of  June.  And  although  the 
English  fleet,  destined  for  the  interception  of  the  French, 
and  also  for  Louisburg,  had  put  to  sea  several  times,  it  had 
been  driven  back  as  many,  being  utterly  unable  to  get  to 
the  westward.  It  was  commanded  by  Lestock,  an  admiral 
in  whom,  certainly,  no  great  confidence  ought  to  have  been 
reposed.  The  fleet  of  the  French  was  commanded  by  the 
Count  D'Anville,  numbering,  as  it  was  affirmed,  seventy 
sail,  fourteen  of  which  were  ships  of  the  line ;  thirty  were 
men  of  war  of  a  smaller  size ;  the  remainder  of  the  force, 
consisting  of  fire-ships,  bombs,  tenders,  and  transports  for 
eight  thousand  troops,"  "  and  a  formidable  apparatus  of 
artillery  and  military  stores."'  In  anticipation  of  D'An- 
ville's  arrival,  accounts  were  received  in  Boston  that  a 
French  officer  named  Ramsay,  had  collected  a  force  of 
seventeen  hundred  Canadian  troops  and  Indians,  to  coope- 
rate with  the  French  admiral,  which  force  was  even  then 
threatening  Annapolis-Royal,  while  the  Acadians  were 
also  known  to  be  rife  for  a  revolt.  In  order,  therefore,  to 
prevent  the  loss  of  ITova  Scotia,  the  orders  for  marching 
to  Albany  were  countermanded,  and  the  troops  directed 

^  Hutohinaon. 
»Ibid. 

*Qrahame.     This  author  greatly  reduces  the  number  of   disciplined 
troops  on  board  D'Anville's  fleet,  from  the  statement  of  Hutchinson  and 

Otuef  pCOviuuiul  uiatoriaiiS— iiinkiug  it  uO  luOrG  thftu  tuiSv  ti^QuSctSd. 


<   » 


;i"     ■  >*fr; 


200 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


1746. 


CHAP,  to  embark  for  Annapolis.  Before,  however,  the  embarka- 
'  tion  had  actually  taken  place,  news  of  D'Anville's  arrival 
at  Chebucto  Bay  in  Nova  Scotia  was  received,  and  the 
whole  country  was  thereby  thrown  into  a  state  of  conster- 
nation. "  England  was  not  more  alarmed  by  the  Spanish 
Armada  in  1688,  than  Boston  and  the  other  North  Ameri- 
can sea  ports  were  by  the  arrival  of  this  fleet  in  their  neigh- 
borhood."* It  was  not  supposed  that  so  formidable  an  arma- 
ment as  that  of  D'Anville,  to  equip  which  the  whole  power 
of  France  had  been  exerted  for  many  months,  could  be 
destined  alone  against  Louisburg.  A  recapture  of  that 
important  post  would  only  be  the  prelude  to  a  sweeping 
attack  upon  the  entire  sea-board ;  and  feeling  themselves 
neglected,  if  not  deserted  by  the  parent  government,  as 
though  willing  to  see  the  colonies  sacrificed,  all  thoughts 
of  sending  away  any  of  their  forces  were  at  once  aban- 
doned. Shirley  was  a  man  of  energy,  enjoying  in  a  high 
degree  the  confidence  of  the  people ;  and  he  bore  himself 
in  the  crisis  in  a  manner  worthy  of  his  position  and  his 
character.  The  first  intelligence  of  D'Anville's  arrival 
upon  the  coast,  had  filled  the  public  mind,  wearied  and 
discouraged  by  the  disappointments  of  the  season,  with 
dismay.  But  the  elasticity  of  the  New  England  character 
was  soon  manifested  by  the  return  of  all  the  courage 
and  resolution  necessary  to  enable  its  possessors  to  look 
danger  in  the  face  and  to  meet  it.  Under  the  lead  of 
Shirley,  therefore,  inspired  by  his  example,  the  whole  en- 
ergies of  New  England  were  immediately  directed  to  the 
now  paramount  object  of  self-defence, — to  which  end  all 
hands  were  at  once  engaged  in  putting  the  country  in  the 
most  commanding  attitude.  The  troops  which  had  been 
destined,  first  for  a  descent  upon  Canada  and  next  for  the 
defence  of  Nova  Scotia,  found  sufficient  employment  at 
home,  as  a  matter  of  course,  in  strengthening  the  defences 
of  the  coast,  by  repairing  dilapidated  forts  and  building 
new  ones.    Nor  were  they  left  to  labor  with  unaugmented 


^    <:  ^T  •nj 


*  Hutfihinaftn. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


201 


numbers.    The  militia  spontaneously  left  their  homes,  chap. 
and  their  ripening  harvests,  seized  their  arms,  and  within*-^ 
a  few  days,  to  the  number  of  more  than  six  thousand,  !'**• 
marched  into  Boston,  while  an  additional  six  thousand 
more  were  promised  from  Connecticut  in  the  event  of  an 
actual  invasion.^ 

Governor  Clinton  had  appointed  the  twentieth  of  July 
as  the  day  for  meeting  the  Six  Nations  in  council  at  Alba- 
ny. He  arrived  there  himself  on  the  twenty-first ;  but  as 
the  city  was  afflicted  with  small-pox,  and  also  at  the  same 
time  with  a  malignant  bilious  fever,  his  excellency,  not 
having  had  the  former  disease,  deferred  his  landing  until 
the  following  day, — not  making  it  then  in  the  town  but 
at  the  fort.  Whether  the  governor's  quarrel  with  De- 
Lancey,  had  or  had  not  served  to  alienate  from  him  any 
other  members  of  the  council,  does  not  appear ;  and  the 
fact  that  the  latter  could  prevail  upon  none  of  its  members 
to  accompany  him  to  Albany,  excepting  Doctor  Golden 
and  Mr.  Livingston,  is  left  unexplained.  Major  Ruther- 
ford of  the  council  being  already  at  Albany  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  military  duties,  enabled  the  governor,  though 
with  the  smallest  number  allowed  by  his  majesty's  com- 
mission, to  form  a  council  board  for  the  transaction  of 
business. 

The  cause  of  DeLancey's  quarrel  with  the  governor, 
has  been  attributed  to  his  own  native  arrogance  ;  to  an 
overweening  family  pride,  engendered  by  the  elevation  of 
his  brother-in-law.  Sir  Peter  Warren ;  and  also  to  his  reli- 
ance upon  the  patronage  of  hi«' former  tutor.  Doctor  Har- 
ris, bishop  of  York,  who  was  soon  afterward  elevated  to 
the  archbishopric  of  Canterbury.*  On  his  arrival  in  the 
colony,  Mr.  Clinton  had  found  the  chief  justice  omnipo- 
tent with  the  assembly,  and  being  himself  fond  of  his 
ease,  and  caring  more  for  the  emoluments  than  for  the 
glory  of   official   station,  the  governor   had  to  a  great 

*  Smith, — who  makes  Doctor  Harris  at  this  time  archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
which  is  not  correct.  Dr.  H.  was  not  advanced  to  the  primacy  until  ^he 
loiiowiag  year,  x«4(. 

26 


III- 


202 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAI4   JOHNSON,   BART. 


«»AF.  extent  yeilded  the  direction  of  the  government  to  this 
wy-^  ambitious  minister.  Every  thing  went  smoothly  enough 
1746.  between  them,  until  after  the  governor  in  a  moment  of  iu- 
caution,  had  renewed  DeLancy's  commission  as  chief  jus- 
tice, during  good  behavior, — or,  in  other  words,  for  life. 
"  He  now  began  to  dictate  rather  than  to  advise,  Dining 
one  day  with  Mr.  Clinton,  and  insisting  upon  some  favor- 
ite point  with  great  imperiousness,  the  governor,  who 
had  so  long  suffered  himself  to  be  led,  revised  on  this  oc 
oasion  to  be  driven.  The  chief  justice  then  arose  and  left 
him ;  declaring,  with  an  oath,  that  he  would  make  his  ad- 
ministration uneasy  for  the  future.  His  excellency  replied 
he  might  do  his  worst.  Thus  they  parted,  near  were  they 
ever  afterward  reconciled."^  The  governor's  confidence 
was  immediately  transferred  to  Doctor  Golden,  in  whom 
it  was  reposed  to  the  end  of  his  administration.  | 

But  notwithstanding  the  preparations  made  in  anticipa- 
tion of  his  arrival,  the  governor  found  no  Indians  at  Alba- 
ny to  meet  him,  save  two  straggling  Onondagas,  and  one 
Oneida  warrior;  all  three  of  whom  had  arrived  on  the 
Bame  day  with  his  excellency,  from  the  north,  bringing 
with  them  two  French  scalps  which  they  had  boldly  taken 
at  the  very  gate  of  Fort  St.  Frederick — Crown  Point.  On 
presenting  these  trophies  to  the  governor,  the  leader  of 
the  party  made  a  formal  speech,  as  belligerent  as  could  be 
desired,  declaring  that  the  murders  committed  by  tbe 
French  had  been  suffered  to  remain  unavenged  until  hie 

^fize  Letler  to  a  Nobleman,  being  a  review  of  tbe  military  operations 
in  North  America  from  176S  to  1756,  the  authorship  of  which  was  attributed 
to  GoTernor  Livingston,  of  New  Jersey,  and  his  friends  Messrs.  Smith  and 
Scott,  lawyers,  of  New  York.  Smith  has  since  been  known  asitke  historian 
of  New  York ;  and  the  coincidences  between  portions  of  this  letter  and  pas- 
sages of  his  history,  are  so  numerous  and  striking,  as  to  warrant  the  con- 
oluBion  that  he  must  have  shared  in  writing  the  former.  The  letter,  which 
is  long,  may  be  found  in  the  fourth  volume  of  Matt.  Hitt.  Golleetions. 

StiU  in  forming  an  estimate  of  the  character  of  Mr.  DeLancey,  as  well  as 
of  other  individuals  mentioned  in  this  letter,  great  allowance  should  be 
made  for  the  intense  political  rancor  which  its  authors  cherished  against  the 
personages  therein  assailed. 


LtlfH  OF  Stit  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


20^ 


heart  could  bear  it  no  longer ;  and  he  had  therefore  him-  o»a#. 
self  determined  to  open  for  his  brethren  the  path  of  re- s*,^ 
venge.    The  scalps  had  been  taken  at  noon-day,  within  two  ^'**' 
hundred  steps  of  the  fort.      The  report  of  their  guns 
startled  the  garrison,  and  a  party  of  soldiers  sallied  forth 
in  pursuit ;  but  having  forgotten  their  arms  in  their  haste, 
and  being  consequently  obliged  to  run  back  after  them, 
the  Indians  were  enabled  to  make  good  their  retreat. 
They  wefe  each  rewarded  with  strouds  and  a  laced  hat, — ^ 
the  leader  receiving  in  addition  a  fine  laced  coat  and  a 
silver  breast-plate.     The  governor  at  the  chief  warrior's 
suggestion  favored  him  with  a  new  name,  signifying  The-  ' 
cpener-of-the-path.    Proud  of  his  distinction,  the  warrior 
then  informed  his  excellency  that  his  two  associates,  to- 
gether with  a  River  Indian,  were  going  upon  the  war-path 
again ;  and  were  it  not  that  he  supposed  he  could  render 
better  service  in  the  council,  he  should  go  against  the 
enemy  with  them.'     No  other  Indians  having  arrived  to 
meet  the  governor,  and  the  reports  from  the  interpreters 
who  had  been  sent  to  the  cantons  of  the  Six  I^ations 
being  exceedingly  discouraging,  the  Path-opener,  who 
proved  to  be  a  very  faithful  fellow,  volunteered  upon  an 
embassy  to  bring  the  Indians  to  the  council  himself,  not 
doubting  that  he  should  to  a  considerable  extent  be  sue-' 
cessful. 

For  nearly  a  month  the  prospect  of  procuring  a  general 
attendance  of  the  Indians,  was  discouraging.  Within  a 
day  or  two  of  the  incident  just  recorded,  another  party  of 
six  or  seven  Indians,  previously  sent  by  the  commissioners 
of  Indian  affairs  to  lurk  about  in  the  vicinity  of  Crown 
Point,  returned  without  having  met  with  any  success,  and 
with  the  loss  of  two  of  their  number,  made  prisoners  by 
the  enemy.  One  of  these,  however,  had  been  released 
through  the  interposition  of  the  Caughnawagas  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  French.  It  was  the  impression  of  these  spies 
that  the  enemy  was  strong  at  Fort  St.  Frederick,  both  in 

^  Minutes  of  the  oounoil  board. 


^  ■.*' 


204 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


oa^p.  regular  troops  and  Indians.  This  unpleasant  intelligence 
w^-/ was  confirmed  very  soon  afterward  by  the  return  from  the 
^'*®*  same  region,  of  a  party  of  sixteen  Mohawks,  who  had 
been  sent  thither  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy's  works  by  Mr, 
Johnson, — ^whose  active  agency  in  the  Indian  department 
was  now  about  first  to  be  brought  into  requisition.  These 
Indians  added  the  expression  of  their  belief,  from  the  ex- 
tent of  the  enemy's  preparations  at  Crown  Point,  that  au 
expedition  was  on  foot  against  Schenectady  and  the  white 
settlements  farther  up  the  Mohawk  valley,  and  possibly 
against  Albany  itself.  These  reports  were  strengthened 
*  by  letters  from  Mr.  Johnson  to  the  governor,  and  also  by 
advices  from  the  officer  commanding  the  small  English 
garrison  kept  in  the  Mohawk  country.  Mr.  Clinton,  how- 
ever, attached  less  importance  to  these  reports  than  those 
did  who  communicated  them  ;  believing  them  to  have  bfeen 
sent  abroad  by  the  French  to  deter  the  Indians  from  gather- 
ing in  the  council  at  Albany.  He  thus  wrote  to  Johnson ; 
endeavoring  at  the  same  time,  by  the  offer  of  liberal  re- 
wards, to  persuade  the  last  mentioned  Indian  party  to  re- 
turn to  the  neighborhood  of  Crown  Point,  but  without  suc- 
cess,— ^the  Indians  insisting  that  they  must  return  to  their 
homes,  to  inform  their  relatives  and  friends  of  what  they 
had  heard  and  seen.  Mr.  Johnson  likewise  thought  there 
were  serious  grounds  for  alarm  ;  writing  to  the  governor 
that  the  white  settlers  for  twenty  miles  above  him,  and  be- 
low to  Schenectady,  had  deserted  the  country.  Of  his  own 
property  in  jeopardy,  he  had  eleven  thousand  bushels  of 
wheat  and  other  grain  ;  and  he  asked  the  favor  of  a  small 
detachment  of  troops  for  his  protection.  A  lieutenant  and 
thirty  men  were  immediately  sent  to  him  ;  and  a  company 
of  militia  was  likewise  added  to  the  upper  Mohawk  castle 
to  assist  the  Indians  in  adding  to  the  strength  of  that  de- 
fence.^ It  will  appear  in  the  course  of  the  present  chapter 
that  the  apprehensions  of  an  invasion  from  Fort  St.  Frede- 


1  Maausoript  oorrospondence  of  Clinton  and  Johnson. 


LIVB  09  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHKSOIT,  BART. 


205 


rick,  were  not  altogether  idle,  although  it  did  not  take  ex-  chap. 
actly  the  anticipated  direction.  ■>■   ■:•■  ^— y—* 

But  the  Six  Nations  came  not  to  the  .council,  and  the^'^*^- 
summer  was  wearing  rapidly  away  ;  while,  to  increase  the 
embarrassment  of  Mr.  Clinton,  the  proposition  from  Gov- 
ernor Shirley  for  an  immediate  expedition  against  Crown 
Point  had  been  acceded  to  on  the  fourth  of  August,  and  the 
information  of  a  change  in  Shirley's  purpose,  rendered  im- 
perative by  the  threatened  invasion  of  the  seaboard  by  the 
French,  had  not  been  received  at  Albany.  The  prospect 
was  indeed  far  from  cheering  in  many  respects.  The  storm 
of  war  lowered  darkly  in  the  northern  horizon.  A  com- 
pany of  rangers,  belonging  to  Albany,  enrolled  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  traversing  the  frontier  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy,  notwithstanding  the  danger  that 
threatened  their  own  fire-sides,  refused  to  go  again  upon 
duty  unless  the  governor  would  become  personally  responsi- 
ble for  their  pay,  at  the  rate  of  three  shillings  each  per 
diem,  and  also  for  their  subsistence.  Indignant  at  their 
conduct,  and  believing  that  men  thus  mercenary,  when  even 
their  own  family  altars  were  in  jeopardy,  could  not  be  safe- 
ly trusted,  Mr.  Clinton  accepted  the  services,  voluntarily 
tendered,  of  Captains  Langdon  and  Tiebout,  with  their  re- 
spective companies  of  new  levies.  A  few  of  the  reluctant 
Albanians  were  taken  as  guides  for  these  generous  volun- 
teers ;  but  whenever  any  signs  of  hostile  Indians  were  dis- 
covered, the  heroic  guides  were  sure,  either  by  discharging 
their  guns,  or  by  making  other  noises,  to  give  the  alarm 
and  enable  the  foe  to  escape  ; — thus  avoiding  the  danger 
themselves,  but  at  the  same  time  defeating  the  purpose  in 
view.  The  temper  of  the  Six  Nations,  with  a  few  individ- 
ual exceptions,  was  bad,  and  apparently  growing  worse.* 
Notwithstanding  the  unwearied  efforts  of  the  English  to 

^  Dunlop  in  quoting  Colden,  in  regard  to  the  discontents  among  the  Six 
Nations  at  this  time,  says :  "  It  was  owing  to  the  misconduct  of  those  who 
were  entrusted  by  the  government  with  the  management  of  Indian  affairs ;  " 
adding:  "  The  Indian  agent  was  Mr.  Johnson.  "  It  was  not  so.  Johnson's 
appointment  to  that  agency  took  place  afterward. 


206 


LIFB  OV  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  counteract  the  influence  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries  among 
wv— '  them,  yet  those  crafty  ecclesiastics  had  obtained  ahold  upon 
1746.  their  afiections,  which  it  seemed  all  but  impossible  to  break ; 
and  fresh  evidences  were  received  by  the  governor,  almost 
daily,  disclosing  the  unwelcome  fact  that  the  Iroquois,  if 
not  again  balancing  which  side  of  the  contest  to  espouse, 
were  more  strongly  than  ever  resolved  upon  maintaining 
an  attitude  of  neutrality.    The  messengers  dispatched  to 
the  Indian  country,  to  persuade  them  to  attend  the  coun- 
cil, had  met  with  very  indifferent  success.     One  of  them 
had  fallen  sick  by  the  way.     Several  of  the  influential  chiefs 
had  again  been  visiting  Canada,  and  were  in  full  commn- 
nication  with  the  Caughnawagas  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 
These  were  active  in  preventing  the  convocation.    The 
messengers  had  passed  thirteen  days  among  the  Oneidas 
without  making  any  perceptible  impression  ;  and  the  Ci^y- 
ugas  met  the  governor's  invitation  at  first  with  a  flat  re- 
fusal.   The  Mohawks,  living  in  the  closest  proximily  to 
the  English,  were  for  a  considerable  time  equally  reluctant 
to  join  in  the  council,  and  severalof  the  ehiefs  at  the  upper 
castle  peremptorily  refused;  nor  in  all  candor  can  it  be  de- 
nied that  their  reasons  at  once  attested  their  political  sa- 
gacity and  the  soundness  of  their  jiidgment.     "  It  was,  " 
they  said,  "a  wiir  between  the  Englsh  and  the  French,  in 
which  the  Indians  had  no  interest.    Those  nations  could 
at  any  time  make  peace ;  but  it  was  not  so  with  the  Indians. 
Once  involved  in  the  war,  they  could  not  make  up  the  quar- 
rel among  themselves,  but  must  continue  the  contest  until 
one  or  the  other  party  was  destroyed."    These  views  were 
encouraged  by  the  emissaries  of  the  French,  who,  entertain- 
ing little  expectation  of  being  able  to  engage  the  Iroquois 
upon  their  own  side,  were  content  to  urge  them  strongly  to 
neutrality.     "  It  is  your  interest,  "  artfully  said  the  Jesuits, 
"  not  to  suffer  either  the  French  or  the  English  to  be  abso- 
lute masters,  for  in  that  case,  your  slavery  to  one  or  the 
other,  will  be  inevitable.  "    Yet  it  was  not  doubted  that 
some  of  the  chiefs  had  been  gained  entirely  to  the  Fi*ench, 


LIVa  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


207 


and  were  even  then  ready  to  strike  the  heads  of  the  Eng-  ch/ 

liah.  'I'.O'ir-',      .-r.hji.-S'j  ,i  vis -ttv,  •i+.'vv.'.r-j  .•.lUni  »— v— ' 

-  It  was  in  this  critical  exigency  that  Mr.  Clinton  determined  ^^*®* 
to  avail  himself,  in  the  Indian  department,  of  the  services  of 
Mr.  Johnson, — services,  for  the  discharge  of  which  he  was 
already  exceedingly  well  qualified  from  the  intimate  know- 
ledge he  had  acquired  of  their  language,  their  character  and 
customs,  and  also  from  the  confidence  they  reposed  in  him, 
and  his  consequent  extensive  popularity  among  them. 
These  qualifications  of  Mr.  Johnson  for  that  delicate 
branch  of  the  public  service  were  well  known  to  Mr.  Clin- 
ton ;  and  inasmuch  as  Colonel  Schuyler,  son  of  the  cele- 
brated Quider,  and  head  of  the  board  of  Indian  com- 
missioners at  wAJbany,  had  espoused  the  side  of  DeLancey 
in  his  opposition  to  the  governor,  while  Johnson  had 
manifested  a  disposition  to  sustain  the  latter,  the  road  to 
preferment  was  already  open.^  Indeed  there  seems  to  have 
been  a  serious  misunderstanding  between  the  governor  and 
the  Indian  commissioners  several  months  before,  the  latter 
having  written  to  his  excellency  on  the  seventeenth  of 
the  previous  April,  that "  as  their  proceedings  give  so  little 
satisfaction  to  him,  they  beg  to  be  excused  from  any  farther 
trouble."*  Mr.  Johnson,  therefore,  already  a  correspond- 
ent and  a  favorite  of  the  governor,  now  succeeded  Colo- 
nel Schuyler  in  the  management  of  the  Indians ;  although 
the  sincere  affection  of  the  latter  for  the  family  of  their 
old  Mend  ^ider,  continued  long  afterward.  It  is  from 
this  point,  that  the  long  ofiBlcial  career  of  the  young  Irish 
adventurer,  William  Johnson, — a  career  equally  brilliant 
and  honorable, — stakes  its  date.  — ^ 

The  commissioners  having  neglected  to  send  messages 
to  the  ^sopus  and  Minisink  Indians' — ^tribes  inconsidera- 
ble and  not  very  reliable, — and  also  to  the  clans  dispersed 
along  the  upper  Susquehanna  and  its  tributaries, — on  the 


1  Smith. 

*  MsnuBoript  letter  preserved  in  the  minutes  of  the  council. 


208 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


■'JB' 


%. 


CHAP,  fourth  of  August  interpreters  with  suitable  belts  were  dis- 
v_.,,w  patched  to  those  scatterred  peoples.  Meantime  a  change 
1740.  favorable  to  the  wishes  of  the  English  had  been  produced 
among  the  Senecas  from  an  unexpected  quarter.  It  hap- 
pened that  while  the  messengers  of  the  governor  were 
among  the  Senecas,  a  party  of  twenty  Chickasaws  arrived 
at  their  castle,  with  a  request  "  that  the  Senecas  would 
show  them  the  way  into  Canada."  The  Chickasaws  had 
always  been  enemies  to  the  French  ;  and  an  expedition  of 
five  hundred  men  sent  against  them  from  Canada,  four 
years  before,  had  been  defeated  in  the  Chickasaw  country, 
almost  to  annihilation.  These  young  envoys  referred  to 
the  subject  in  a  manner  characteristic  of  the  race.  Ad- 
dressing the  Senecas,  they  said: — "Tour  years  a,.j;o  the 
French  had  been  so  kind  as  to  visit  their  country,  and 
leave  among  them  four  hundred  muskets.  Those  muskets 
however,  by  constant  use,  had  been  worn  out ;  and  as  their 
friends  the  French  had  not  thought  proper  to  bring  them 
any  more,  the  Chickasaws  had  determined  to  go  to  Canada 
and  bring  away  some  new  ones."  It  was  their  desire 
that  the  Senecas  would  show  them  tbo  way,  and  if  they 
would  promise  to  do  so,  the  young  men  swd  they  would 
return  home  and  bring  back  about  four  hundred  of  their 
stout-hearted  fellows  to  find  the  new  guns  and  bring  them 
away.  Encouraged  by  this  unlooked  for  alliance  ftom 
the  south,  and  also  by  assurances  that  other  remote  na- 
tions of  the  forest  were  in  no  good  humor  with  the  French, 
the  Senecas,  in  considerable  numbers,  changed  their 
minds,  and  determined  to  meet  the  governor  in  Albany. 
Mr.  Johnson  was  at  the  same  time  exerting  himself  with 
the  utmost  activity  to  dispel  the  clouds  resting  upon  the 
moody  brows  of  the  Mohawks,  and  to  revive  their  obvious- 
ly waning  friendship  for  the  English.  Familiar  with  their 
language  and  manners,  he  assumed  their  garb,  and  mingled 
among  them  as  one  of  their  own  people.  He  entered 
readily  into  their  athletic  exercises,  their  games,  and  all 
the  varieties  of  their  pastimes, — prompted,  it  is  likely,  in 


i  I.    '.iBMEisaBnK'  ^ 


LIFB  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


209 


part,  by  his  love  of  the  picturesque  and  of  wild  adventure,  chaf. 
and  in  part,  it  is  but  just  to  believe,  by  the  sincere  aftec- ^yw 
tion  he  had  imbibed  for  the  race.    Flattered  by  his  asso-  ^^*^' 
ciation  with  them  upon  terms  of  such  generous  equality, — 
not  for  an  instant  dreaming  that  there  could  bo  ought  of 
Bimulation  in  his  conduct  toward  them,  as  perhaps  there 
was  not, — the  Mohawks  adopted  him  as  a  member  of  their 
nation,  and  invested  him  %<rith  the  rank  of  a  war-chief.'    In 
this  capacity  he  assembled  them  at  festivals,  and  appointed 
frequent  war-dances,  by  way  of  exciting  them  to  engage 
actively  in  the  war.    His  success,  considering  the  sourness 
of  their  temper,  and  the  spirit  of  uneasiness  that  had  pre- 
vailed among  them  for  so  many  months,  was  far  greater 
than  had  been  anticipated  by  the  commissioners ;  for  he 
not  only  persuaded  numbers  of  the  war-chiefs  and  sachems 
to  repair  to  Albany  and  hear  what  the  governor  had  to  say, 
but  he  likewise  engaged  many  of  their  young  warriors  un- 
reservedly to  join  the  army  in  the  proposed  campaign. 

Thus  stood  matters  at  the  Mohawk  castles  when  the  in- 
terpreters from  the  more  distant  members  of  the  Confede- 
racy arrived  with  such  of  the  sachems  and  warriors  of  those 
nations  as  they  had  succeeded  in  bringing  to  attend  the 
council.  But  here  a  new  difficulty  arose.  A  political  feud 
had  existed  among  the  Confederates  for  a  length  of  time, 
causing  a  division  into  two  distinct  parties, — the  Mohawks, 
Onondagas  and  Senecas  forming  one  division,  and  the 
Oneidas,  Cayugas  and  Tuscaroras  the  other, — ^the  last  men- 
tioned being  numerically  the  weaker.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  warriors  and  counsellors  of  the  latter,  it  appeared  that 
they  had  by  no  means  determined  to  espouse  the  cause  of 
the  English,  and  they  censured  the  Mohawks  for  having 
committed  themselves  so  far  without  the  previous  consent 
of  the  other  Confederates.  The  Mohawks  replied  with 
warmth.  They  were  less  numerous  than  the  other  nations, 
it  was  true ;  but  they  declared  that  their  warriors  were  all 

>  In  connection  with  this  custom  of  adoption,  see  Appendix,  No.  1,  to  this 
volume. 

27 


##< 


flO 


LIFI  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


o«Ar.  men 


1740. 


and  in  tho  event  of  a  trial  of  strength,  the  Mohawks 
might  not  be  found  in  reality  the  weakest.  Chafed  at  the 
rebuke  of  their  fellows,  they  moreover  now  boldly  avowed 
that  their  hearts  were  truly  English  ;  and  the  contention  at 
length  became  so  sharp,  that  tho  opposing  factions  would 
not  consent  to  move  in  company  to  Albany, — tho  Mohawks 
marching  by  themselves  on  one  sido  of  the  river,  while 
their  opponents  took  the  otlier.  Both  divisions  entered 
Albany  on  the  eighth  of  August, — the  Mohawks  in  full 
panoply,  at  the  head  of  whom  marched  theii*  now  wa^ 
captain,  Johnson,  upon  whom  they  had  conferred  the  name 
of  War-raou-i-ya-oky,  signifying,  it  is  believed,  Superin- 
tendent of  affairs' — dressed,  painted  and  plumed  as  re- 
quired by  the  dignity  of  his  rank.  In  passing  Fort  Frede- 
rick at  Albany,  salutes  were  exchanged,  the  Indians  firing 
their  muskets,  and  the  fort  its  artillery.  The  chie&  and 
sachems  were  then  received  in  the  hull  of  the  fortress,  and 
served  with  refreshments. 

All  the  Mohawk  sachems  but  three,  had  been  persuaded 
by  Mr.  Johnson  heartily  to  engage  in  the  cause.  One  of 
these  dissentients  was  Aaron,  of  the  Lower  castle,  who,  with 
others,  had  made  a  visit  in  the  preceding  spring  to  the 
French  governor  in  Canada.  The  two  others  were  of  the 
Canajoharie,  or  Upper  castle.  Both  were  sachems  of  influ- 
ence, one  belonging  to  the  Bear  tribe,  and  the  other  to  the 
Tortoise, — the  latter  being  first  in  dignity.  Great  pains 
were  taken  at  private  interviews  vnth  these  sachems,  to 
bring  them  into  the  cause  of  the  English.  The  ta^k,  though 
difficult,  was  ultimately  accomplished  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barclay,  an  English  missionary 
residing  among  the  Mohawks,  and  the  exertions  of  Doctor 

1  The  Six  Nations  reokoned  all  other  Indian  aationi  wonen  in  oompui- 
«on  with  themselTei. 

*Th«  signifioatioa  of  Joknson'B  Indian  name  is  not  known  with  certainty. 
Some  authoritiei  have  given  as  it«  meaning — "  one  who  unites  two  peoples 
together. "  The  interpretation  howevsr  given  in  the  text,  reasoning  from 
the  aaalyeie  oc  the  lupposed  analysis  of  the  word,  appears  to  be  nearer 
the  truth. 


im  OF  SIR  WTLLTAM  JOHIWOIT,   BART. 


211 


Golden,  who,  during  former  visits  to  the  Canajohario  castle,  chap. 
had  contracted  an  acquaintance  with  those  reluctant  Bars..yw 
chenifl.    The  doctor  had  indeed  some  twenty  years  before,  ^'^*'  ' 
been  adopted  into  their  clan,  and  invested  with  a  new  name. 
Still,  there  were  other  difficulties  to  be  adjusted,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  nineteenth  day  of  August  that  a  public  coun- 
cil could  be  safely  opened.    Meantime  Governor  Clinton 
had  been  attacked  by  fever,  and  the  duty  of  conducting  the 
council  devolved  upon  Dr.  Golden.    The  comrr  issionera  in 
attendance  from  Massachusetts,  were  Colonel  Wendell  and 
Mr.  Welles.    Connecticut  was  not  represented. 

The  opening  speech  delivered  by  Mr.  Colden,  had  been 
prepared  to  be  spoken  by  the  governor.  After  announcing, 
in  the  usual  form,  that  the  council  had  been  called  to  con- 
firm the  covenant  chain,  and  all  former  treaties  and  engage- 
ments, it  recapitulated  the  history  of  the  war,  referring  to 
the  cruelties  of  the  enemy,  and  reminding  the  Indians  of 
their  stipulation  the  year  before,  that  if  satisfaction  for  those 
cruelties  should  not  be  promptly  rendered,  they  would  take 
up  the  hatchet  and  make  immediate  use  of  it.  But  the 
enemy,  so  far  from  having  made  the  least  reparation  for 
their  wrongs,  had  repeated  their  cruelties  on  the  frontiers 
of  New  England,  by  the  destruction  and  massacre  of  Sara- 
toga, and  by  barbarous  murders  in  the  very  precincts  of 
Albany.  Yet,  knowing  these  facts,  the  Six  N'ations  had 
not  fulfilled  their  promises,  an  immediate  compliance  with 
which  was  now  necessary,  if  they  would  show  that  those 
promises  came  when  made  from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts. 

The  speech  next  announced  the  determination  of  "  the 
king  their  father, "  to  eifect  the  subjugation  of  Canada, 
and  informed  the  Indians  of  the  preparations  making  for 
that  object.  They  were  assured  in  the  most  confident 
terms,  that  forces  sufficient  for  effecting  the  conquest  at  a 
blow,  had  been  levied  and  were  already  in  motion.  Those 
from  Virginia,  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and 
New  York,  destined  to  proceed  to  Montreal,  they  would 
soon  see  in  Albany ;  while  the  governor  was  in  the  hourly 


212 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


V. 


1746. 


\WKMM!- 


CHAP,  expectation  of  hearing  of  the  arrival  of  the  promised  ships 
and  troops  from  England ; — "  a  great  army  of  experienced 
soldiers, — who,  with  the  New  England  levies,  were  to  as- 
semble at  Cape  Breton  ; — after  which  the  attack  upon  Ca- 
nada would  be  made  on  all  sides,  both  by  sea  and  land."^ 

Yet,  in  order  to  complete  the  preparations  for  so  great 
an  enterprise,  the  Six  Nations  were  required  to  join  all  their 
forces  with  the  English,  in  doing  which  they  would  have  a 
glorious  opportunity  of  increasing  their  renown  by  aiding 
in  the  conquest  of  the  French, — a  perfidious  people,  who 
were  even  caressing  the  enemies  of  the  Six  Nations,  de- 
siring nothing  so  much  os  to  see  their  name  obliterated. 

They  were  next  reminded  of  the  many  injuries  they 
tidemselves  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  French,  es- 
pecially by  their  repeated  invasions  of  their  territory,  as 
at  Onondaga,  and  the  Seneca  country.  The  mischiefs 
inflicted  by  them  upon  the  Mohawks  in  their  successive 
invasions  were  recounted ;  the  story  of  the  massacre  of 
their  warriors  at  Cadaracqui,  was  rehearsed ;  while  the 
cruel  burnings  of  some  of  their  braves  at  Montreal,  was 
not  forgotten.  Having  thus  kindled  a  spirit  of  vengeance  in 
their  bosoms,  as  could  be  read  in  the  flashing  eye,  and  the 
distended  nostril,  the  ambition  of  the  warriors  was  next  art- 
fully excited  by  a  recital  of  their  own  brave  exploits  when 
carrying  their  arms  into  Canada: — **K  your  fathers,"  said 
the  speech,  "  could  now  rise  out  of  their  graves,  how 
would  their  hearts  leap  for  joy  to  see  this  day,  when  so 
glorious  an  opportunity  is  put  into  your  hands  to  revenge 
all  the  injuries  your  country  has  received  from  the  French, 
and  be  never  more  exposed  to  their  treachery  and  deceit." 
As  the  true  sons  of  such  renowned  and  brave  ancestors, 
animated  by  the  same  spirit  for  their  country's  glor}',  and 
the  same  desire  of  revenge,  they  were  invited  to  share  in 

1  So  ignorant  was  the  goyernor  of  the  true  state  of  things  at  the  moment 
in  New  England,  where  all  expectation  of  the  grand  combined  attack  had 
been  relinquished ;  Boston  not  more  than  two  hundred  miles  distant,  and  yet 
the  governor  of  New  York  was  left  in  ignorance  to  make  thca^  fallacious 
promiBw  to  the  Indians. 


LITE  OP  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


213 


the  honor  of  vanquishing  the  enemies  alike  of  them-  chap. 
selves  and  the  English;  provisions,  arras,  clothing,  being w^ 
promised  in  abundance,  and  ample  protection  for  their  ^'*^' 
wives  and  children  during  their  absence.    They  were  far- 
ther reminded  of  several  murders  of  their  white  brethren 
by  the  enemy's  Indians,  committed  even  since  their  arrival 
at  the  council-fire.    These  additional  insults  they  were 
called  upon  to  avenge ;  and  in  conclusion  a  belt  was  given 
as  an  assurance  of  the  intention  of  the  English  to  live  and 
die  with  their  red  brethren. 

The  speech  was  well  received.  At  the  end  of  each  sen- 
tence one  of  the  chiefs  called  out — "yo-hay;" — "cZo  you 
hear?"  and  the  response  of  approbation  was  general. 
When,  moreover,  after  its  close,  the  war-belt  was  thrown 
down,  the  significant  act  was  followed  by  a  war-shout, 
unanimous  and  hearty.  The  council-fire  was  then  raked 
up  to  give  the  forest  counsellors  time  for  deliberation. 
Three  days  afterward  they  announced  that  their  answer 
was  ready ;  and  on  the  following  day,  August  twenty- 
fourth,  the  governor  himself  was  able  to  meet  them  in 
council  for  its  reception.        ;,i)';i  >■■.''  i        ;;tt  v;.'!     ii;'' 

The  fire  having  been  rekindled  at  the  appointed  time, 
an  Onondaga  sa^nbm  spoke  to  the  following  eflect — the 
speech  of  course  abounding  in  the  figurative  expressions 
inseparable  from  Indian  eloquence  and  diplomacy.  It 
opened  by  informing  the.  council  that  the  Missesagues 
had  united  with  them  for  the  purposes  immediately  in 
hand,  as  a  seventh  nation.  The  Six  Nations  were  rejoiced 
that  the  English  were  wiping  away  their  sorrowful  tears, 
opening  their  throats,  and  washing  clean  the  bloody  bed. 
They  also  spoke  of  the  silver  covenant  chain  formed  of 
old,  which  both  were  holding  fast.  They  acknowledged 
having  received  the  hatchet  the  year  before,  and  their 
pledge  to  use  it  in  the  event  of  farther  provocations  and 
murders  by  the  French ; — admitted  that  the  bloody  affair 
of  Saratoga,  and  other  acts  of  hostility,  demanded  the  ful- 
filment of  the  pledge ;  and  they  farther  declared    their 


W 


.t  I 


214 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


»'■ 


CHAP. readiness  "from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts,"  to  use  their 
w^  hatchets  against  the  French  and  their  children, — the  Ca- 
174©.  nada  Indians  meaning, — from  that  day  forward.  As  an 
earnest  of  their  sincerity  in  this  declaration,  the  war-belt 
was  thrown  down  with  great  emphasis  both  of  attitude 
and  expression.  They  assured  the  governor  of  the  entire 
union  of  their  clans  in  this  declaration,  and  hoped  the 
governors  of  the  different  English  colonies  would  be  as 
closely  united  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war  as  themselves. 
In  regard  to  the  wiles  of  the  French  priests  against  which 
they  had  been  admonished,  they  averred  that  their  blood 
boiled  at  the  manner  in  which  they  had  fbrmely  been 
treated  by  them,  and  being  now  at  war  with  their  nation, 
those  priests  would  no  more  dare  to  come.  The  Six  Na- 
tions would  have  no  further  us©  for  them  than  to  roast 
them.  As  to  the  Missesagues,  whom  they  now  commended 
to  the  English  as  their  allies,  they  nudibered  eight  hundred 
warriors,  all  being  determined  to  join  in  the  common 
cause.^  In  conclusion  the  chiefs  naid  they  would  leave 
some  of  their  warriora  with  the  troops  of  the  governor, 
while  they  themselves  returned  to  their  castles  to  send 
down  a  greater  number.  'i\j{v:>i-a  novi   s^ikviu!  -.ii}', 

With  this  gpeech  closed  the  proceeding^f  that  day,  and 
the  next  was  appointed  for  the  delivery  of  the  presents 
sent  to  them  from  the  king,  and  also  by  the  governors  of 
Virginia  and  Massachusetts.  When  on  the  twenty-fifth  the 
presents  were  brought  forUi  for  delivery,  the  Albanians  re- 
marked that  they  were  much  more  valuable  than  any  that 
had  been  previously  given  to  the  Indians.  So,  also,  thought 
the  recipients,  a  Mohawk  chieftain,  of  his  own  volition, 
addressing  his  brethren  thus ; — "  You  see  how  you  are  here 
treated, — really  like  brethren.  The  governor  of  Canada 
treats  not  his  Indians  so,  but  sets  them  on  like  dogs,  and 
they  run  without  thought  or  consideration.  You  see  what 
a  noble  present  is  made  to  you.  If  the  governor  of  Ca- 
nada should  sieze  all  tho  goods  in  that  country ,  he  could  not 


iir'T*""'™'" 


1  The  MisBesagueg  theu  livod  at  Detroit,  between  Lakes  Erie  and  Huron. 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


215 


make  such  a  present."^  In  the  division  of  the  presents  chap. 
among  the  nations  represented,  two-eighths  thereof  were  w^l-^ 
voluntarily  assigned  to  the  Missesagues.  On  the  day  fol-  ^^46. 
lowing,  being  the  twenty-sixth,  the  war-kettle  was  put  over 
the  fire,  and  in  the  evening  the  solemn  war-dance  was  per- 
formed, in  presence  of  the  governor  and  many  other  gen- 
tlemen. The  warriors  were  all  painted  for  the  occasion, 
and  the  appropriate  songs  were  sung  with  affecting  pathos. 
Before  the  Indians  dispersed,  the  governor  had  private 
conferences  with  the  leading  chiefs,  and  rendered  the  cov- 
enant chain  yet  brighter  by  making  further  presepts.  The 
two  Missesagues  present  were  particularly  friendly.  One 
of  them  assured  his  excellency  that  among  the  Indians  yet 
farther  than  themselves  in  the  interior,  there  was  a  grow- 
ing dislike  to  the  French,  reporting  a  transaction  strongly 
corroborating  his  assertion.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  a  party 
of  sixty  Frenchmen  had  lately  been  sent  to  one  of  those 
distant  nations  to  persuade  them  to  take  up  the  hatchet 
against  the  English.  They  accepted  the  hatchet, — ^and  im- 
mediately pilt  the  whole  party  presenting  it  to  death.  In 
conclusion,  the  Missesagues  promised  on  returning  home 
to  bring  as  many  of  those  distant  nations  as  they  could 
upon  the  war-path.  Unfortunately,  however,  both  sickened 
of  the  small-pox  and  died,— one  of  them  not  being  able  to 
depart  for  the  fair  hunting  grounds  with  resignation  until 
the  governor  had  promised  to  send  his  mother  the  first 
French  scalp  that  should  be  taken.  His  companion  at  the 
council  died  on  his  way  home, — th€  Six  ^N'ations  at  once 
providing  for  their  wives  and  children,  who  bad  accom- 
panied them  to  Albany. 

*  This  account  of  the  Indian  negotiations  of  1746,  I  have  drawn  from  the 
copious  details  of  Doctor  Golden.  Smith,  the  historian,  intimates  that  the 
presents  actually  given  by  the  governor,  were  small  and  unsatisfactory : 
and  charges  that  Golden  wrote  a  partial  account  for  his  patron's  vindica- 
tion— his  excellency  having  been  accused  of  embezzling  large  portions  of 
the  presents.  This  imputation  is  unwairantable.  Golden's  account  was 
published  in  the  oourse  of  a  few  weelcs  after  the  council  closed,  and,  had 
it  been  untrue,  and  the  Indian's  speech  a  fiction,  the  dishonesty  would  have 
been  exposed  at  the  time. 


""!'  ''I 


216 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


i-    'n 


CHAP.  The  alliance,  oflensive  and  defensive  with  the  Iroquois, 
v_y— '  having  thus  been  satisfactorily  renewed,  Mr.  Clinton  next 
1'46.  turned  his  a  ttention  to  the  Muh-he-ka-neok,  or  River  In- 
dians,— a  small  nation  residing  at  Stockbridge,  in  the  colo- 
ny of  Massachusetts, — composed  of  remnants  of  the  Mo- 
hegans,  N'arragansetts  and  Schaghticokes,  together  with 
various  other  smaller  clans  and  tribes  from  Connecticut, 
who  had  been  formed  into  a  community  some  ten  years  be- 
fore by  a  philanthropic  clergyman, — the  Rev.  Mr.  Sergeant. 
"With  these  remnants  of  various  peoples  who  had  been 
peeled  and  scattered  in  New  England,  a  council  was  also 
holden,  the  result  of  which  was  satisfactory  to  all.  They 
readily  consented  to  engage  in  the  war,  concluding  their 
speech,  however,  in  words  equivalent  to  a  condition  that 
they  were  not  to  be  forgotten  on  the  conclusion  of  a  peace; 
"  When  you  Christians, "  said  they,  "  are  at  war,  you  maks 
peace  with  one  another ;  but  it  is  not  so  with  us.  There- 
fore we  depend  upon  you  to  take  care  of  us ;  in  confidence 
of  which  we  now  take  up  the  hatchet,  and  ^  /ill  make  use 
of  it.  " '    They  were  dismissed  with  presents. 

Lingering  in  Albany  yet  a  full  month  longer,  Mr.  Clin- 
ton was  enabled  to  receive  in  person  the  Indians  from  the 
Susquehanna  country,  whose  principal  town  was  at  Oghqua- 
go.  These  Indians  to  the  number  of  sixty  warriors,  ex- 
clusive of  the  usual  train  of  old  men,  women  and  children, 
— ^never-failing  attendants  upon  important  councils, — ar- 
rived in  charge  of  Captains  Vrooman  and  Staats,  about  the 
tenth  of  September,  and  sent  the  governor  on  the  next  day. 
They  had  responded  to  the  summons  with  alacrity, — com- 
plaining nevertheless  at  the  lateness  of  their  invitation,  and 
regretting  that  the  negotiations  with  the  Six  Nations  should 
have  been  concluded  before  their  arrival.    Toward  the  Six 

1  Smith  very  improperly  classes  the  River  Indians— called  by  him  after  the 
Dutch  orthography  Mohickanders, — with  the  Eaopus  and  Susquehanna  In- 
dians, and  denounces  them  as  "dastardly  tribes,"  to  whom  Governor  Clin- 
ton "  gare  presents  for  promises  which  they  never  meant  to  perform.  " 
Toward  the  Muk-kuk-kan-ook,  th|air  denunciation  is  most  unjust.  They 
were  always  true  to  the  English,  and  poured  out  th^ir  blood  freely  for  them. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


217 


Nations  they  appeared  to  entertain  feelings  bordering  upon  chap. 
jealousy.  It  was  a  shame,  they  said,  that  these  Indians  — ^^ 
had  not  sooner  used  the  hatchet  placed  in  their  hands  a  ^'*®- 
year  before.  They  had  themselves  sometimes  been  de- 
ceived as  to  the  progress  of  the  war,  but  they  were  now 
ready  to  join  in  the  contest, — adding  "  We  know  several 
roads  to  Canada,  and  we  want  to  see  the  hatchet  that  we 
may  grasp  it."  Whereupon  the  governor  threw  down  a 
cutlass,  which  was  eagerly  seized  by  one  of  the  chiefs,  and 
they  all  commenced  the  war-dance, — declaring  that  "  they 
should  keep  firmly  hold  of  the  hatchet,  and  were  resolved 
to  use  it."  A  sudden  alarm,  caused  by  an  incursion  of  the 
enemy's  Indians,  and  the  murder  of  a  non-commissioned 
officer  in  the  very  suburbs  of  Albany,  served  to  test  both 
the  fidelity  and  the  courage  of  these  Indians,  by  the  alert- 
ness with  which  they  spontaneously  went  in  pursuit  of  the 
hostile  party.  Several  of  their  number  remained  in  Al- 
bany to  act  as  scouts  or  guides,  as  occasion  might  require ; 
the  residue  being  dismissed  with  presents — ^having  promised 
the  services  of  six  hundred  braves  to  the  governor  when- 
ever he  should  summon  them  to  the  field.  The  governor 
did  not  question  the  sincerity  of  their  professions ;  but 
wrote  to  Mr.  Johnson  the  sixteenth  of  September,  that 
"they  looked  as  though  they  were  determined  to  be  hearty 
in  oar  cause,"  and  "he  expected  their  warriors  to  join  him 
in  about  ten  days.  "  It  is  astonishing,  nay,  inexplicable, 
how  completely  Mr.  Clinton  and  his  qounsellors  were  left 
in  the  dark,  down  even  to  the  date  qf  the  letter  just  cited, 
as  to  the  situation  of  aflairs  in  New  England.  In  this  let- 
ter he  tells  Johnson  that  he  talked  to  the  Indians  "  in  no 
other  light  than  that  of  going  immediately  to  fighting," 
and  adds  :  "  Five  hundred  troops  from  the  Jprsies,  and  four 
hundred  from  Philadelphia,  have  arrived  here,  besides  seve- 
ral more  companies  from  New  York,  which  amount  to  over 
two  thousand  men.  More  are  expected ;  and  as  I  hear 
that  the  fleet  was  seen  off  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  I 
conclude  they  are  before  now  at  Louisburg, — having  sent, 

28 


ir- 


218 


LIFE   OP  Sia  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


m 


CHAP,  some  time  since,  an  express  to  Boston  not  yet  returned, 
v-v-'  and  I  think  he  must  be  detained  on  that  account." '  The 
1746.  governor  also  in  the  same  letter  informs  Johnson  tliat  he 
has  sent  the  fourteen  Susquehanna  warriors  who  had  re- 
mained behind,  against  the  enemy,  attached  to  a  company 
of  sixty  men  under  the  command  of  Captain  Sfcaats,  and 
from  whom  he  hoped  to  hear  a  good  account. 

The  Canadian  governor  had  not  been  an  inattentive  ob- 
server of  Mr.  Clinton's  preparations  for  meeting  the  In 
dians.    He  had  indeed  adroitly  attempted  to  prevent  the 
gathering,  by  sending  a  number  of  Caughnawaga  emissa- 
ries among  them,  with  pacific  overtures.^    The  Onondaga 
captain,  taken,  as  already  related,  at  Crown  Point,  in  July 
was  to  accompany  them,  charged  with  a  message  from  the 
governor  to  the  effect,  that  although  the  warriors  of  the 
Bix  I^ations  had  killed  some  of  his  people,  yet  he  was  wil- 
ling to  overlook  the  past,  and  ''  as  an  evidence  of  his  lov^e 
for  them,  he  had  sent  back  one  of  their  people  instead  of 
eating  his  flesh."    At  the  same  time  the  Caughnawagas 
were  charged  "not  to  spill  any  more  blood  from  Albany 
upward,  but  to  turn  their  arms  toward  their  inveterate 
enemies  in  New  England.    "  There,"  said  the  French  go- 
vernor, "  There  is  the  place  for  you  to  gain  honor  now." 
But  much  to  the  surprise  of  the  governor,  the  Caughnawa- 
gas  declined  the  honor  of  the  proposed  mission,  either  as 
the  bearers  of  intelligence,  or  menac<^s.     "  Such  a  course," 
they  replied,  "would  only  stir  up  th3  Six  Nations,  and 
bring  them  and  all  their  allies  to  destroy  you  at  once. 
They  are  not  to  be  bullied  by  your  words  or  arms ;  where, 
fore,  father,  we  must  leave  you  to  go  through  this  work 
by  yourself."    These  sudden  scruples  of  his  allies^  but  that 
the  French  governor  was  doubtless  well  acquainted  with 
the  unstable  and  impulsive  character  of  the  Indians,  must 
well  nigh  have  confounded  him.    But  the  Caughnawagas 
nevertheless  dispatched  one  of  their  number  in  company 

1  Manusoript  letter,  Clinton  to  Johnson. 
*  Idem  in  reply  to  a  letter  from  Johnson. 


LIPB   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


219 


with  the  returning  captain,  aa  the  bearer  of  a  message,  not  chap. 
from  the  governor,  but  from  themselves,  to  their  former  wyl-* 
brethren,  conjuring  them  by  all  their  ancient  ties  of  friend- 1'*** 
ship,  not  to  embark  in  a  war  against  them,  and  begging 
them  to  give  information  of  any  plottings  of  Governor 
Clinton  against  them.  They  invited  the  Six  Nations  to 
visit  them  in  council  again  at  their  seat  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
in  the  spring ;  and  requested  them  to  inform  Governor  Clin- 
ton that  the  French  had  eighteen  hundred  soldiers  at  Crown 
Point,  ready  for  battle,  but  in  which  number  were  included 
eight  castles  of  Ottaw-'  Indians.  It  was  on  the  return  of 
the  Mohawks  from  the  council  at  Albany,  that  they  wero 
met  by  six  of  their  own  people  as  the  bearers  of  this  mes- 
sage, which  they  had  received  from  the  returning  Onon- 
daga prisoners, — ^the  Caughnawaga  messenger  having  ven- 
tured no  farther  than  the  confines  of  the  Mohawk  territory. 
But  neither  the  message  from  their  former  brethren,  nor 
the  desires  of  the  French  governor,  made  the  slightest  im- 
pression upon  the  Six  j^ations,  since  they  communicated 
both  to  their  new  war-captain,  Johnson,  without  reserve  op 
delay, — ^giving  eveiy  desirable  evidence  of  the  good  faith 
in  which  they  had  revived  their  English  alliance. 

It  was  suggested  by  some  contemporary  writers,  that  in- 
asmuch as  the  governor  of  Canada  asked  only  for  the  neu- 
trality of  the  Six  Nations,  the  dictates  of  humanity  required 
an  acquiescence  on  the  part  of  the  English.  But  whoever 
has  studied  the  character  of  this  remarkable  variety  of  the 
human  family, — especially  of  the  Iroquois, — must  be  aware 
how  difficult,  if  not  how  utterly  impossible,  it  would  have 
been  to  keep  them  neutral.  The  Iroquois  were  the  aborigin- 
als of  all  others,  whose  friendship  and  alliance  was  most 
strongly  desired  by  both  the  principal  belligerents,  and  whose 
possible  hostility  was  anticipated  with  the  greatest  appre- 
hension by  both.  Their  position,  stretohiii.i>;  from  the  west- 
ern shore  of  Lsike  Champlain  to  Lake  Erie,  placed  them 
like  a  barrier  between  the  French  and  English  colonics, 
and  enabled  them  to  strike  with  sudden  fury  upon  the  bor- 


j 


220 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  ders  of  either,  as  they  might  elect.  The  most  formidable 
w^w  in  numbers,  the  most  compactly  disposed  in  their  cantons, 
^^*^'  and  the  best  governed  of  the  savage  race, — inured  to  war, 
and  accustomed  to  conquest, — their  name  was  a  terror  to 
the  Indians  from  the  country  of  the  Natchez  to  the  gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence.  Their  trade  was  war ;  and  although  they 
had  for  a  season  evinced  a  strong  reluctance  to  engage  in 
the  contest  then  raging,  yet  the  French  were  continually 
tampering  with  them,  and  their  clergy  had  for  a  long  pe- 
riod exercised  great  influence  over  them.  They  were  them- 
selves by  no  means  ignorant  of  the  importance  of  their  po- 
sition, nor  of  the  important  fact,  that,  as  between  the 
French  and  English  colonies,  they  held  the  balance  of 
power.  How  desirous  they  might  be  of  making  the  most 
of  their  position,  the  English  could  not  tell ;  nor  had  they 
any  warrant,  in  the  event  of  neglecting  to  secure  their  ser- 
vices beyond  a  peradventure  themselves,  that  when  the  con- 
test  should  become  fierce,  and  the  Indians  should  scent 
blood  upon  the  breeze,  they  might  not,  in  a  moment  of 
impulse,  throw  off  their  neutrality  and  strike  suddenly  in 
behalf  of  the  French.  Hence  it  is  maintained  that  the 
English  were  by  no  means  bound  passively  to  allow  the 
French  to  secure  the  advantage  of  a  neutrality  on  the  part 
of  the  Iroquois,  the  maintenance  of  which  would  be  so  ex- 
tremely uncertain,  and  the  benefits  of  which  would  enure 
solely  to  the  party  proposing  and  so  strenuously  urging  it. 


f'.  ;. 


.-it' 


•f-n 


r;:S? 


vv 


.1  ' 

'■'■■.i     .;    ;/-i'^',:    ij-.^rr-' Cm'!   ..;f»/  .'!••■> h/-.!»j  -v—' 


wi-v.L'ir.J:  U'rj-^  '^ 

■>'"■  1.1  '>m  h      .CHAPTER   VI.    ■•  ■■■  jn    '  rv:^  "■■f  •■•' 

.         I    .  lT4o.      .   ,  ■     ,  X      , 

The  governor  of  Canada  was  prompt  in  executing  the  chap. 
purpose  suggested  to  the  Caughnawagas,  of  striking  upon  >— v— ' 
the  borders  of  New  England,  the  people  of  which  he  had  ^'^®' 
designated  as  their  most  inveterate  foes.    Indeed  the  In- 
dians in  the  French  service  had  not  waited  for  that  sug- 
gestion, since  from  the  opening  of  the  spring,  the  whole 
New  England  frontier  from  the  eastern  border  of  New 
York,  had  been  kept  in  a  continuous  state  of  alarm ;  their 
hamlets  were  often  in  flames ;  and  their  fields  reddened 
with  blood. 

The  New  Hampshire  l)order  being  the  most  exposed, 
was  full  of  danger  at  every  point.  On  the  thirteenth  of 
April,  the  Indians  appeared  at  a  township  called  Number- 
Four,^  and  took  three  men  prisoners,  and  killed  their  cat- 
tle. Four  days  afterward  a  larger  party  of  fifty  attempted 
to  surprise  the  fort  at  Upper  Ashu^^lot,'  hiding  themselves 
in  a  swamp  near  by  with  the  design  of  marching  into  the 
fort  on  the  departure  of  the  men  to  their  field  labors  in  the 
morning.  But  their  ambuscade  was  discovered  by  a  man 
who  went  forth  very  early  in  the  morning,  and  their  pur- 
pose frustrated.  A  skirmish  took  place  in  which  a  man 
and  a  woman  were  killed,  and  another  man  taken  prisoner. 
On  retreating,  the  Indians  burned  several  houses  and 
bams.  Three  days  afterward  a  party  of  savages  came  to 
New  Hopkinton,  where  was  a  block  house  guarded  by 
several  men.  One  of  these  going  out  very  early  to  hunt, 
leaving  his  companions  asleep,  also  left  the  door  open, — a 

^  Sinoe  named  Charlestown. 

iKeene.  ii-.ir- 


'M 


222 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1746. 


CHAP,  very  convenient  instance  of  carelessness, — for  the  lurking 
' savages,  who  thereupon  rushed  in  and  made  eight  pii- 
soners — four  men,  one  woman  and  three  children.  On  the 
second  of  May,  Number-Four  was  revisited,  and  a  party 
of  women  milking  some  cows,  guarded  by  several  soldiers, 
were  fired  upon.  One  man  was  killed,  and  two  of  the 
Indians  mortally  wounded  by  the  return  fire.  Two  days 
afterward,  Contoocook*  was  visited  by  the  enemy,  by 
whom  two  men  were  killed,  and  a  third  taken  prisoner. 
The  same  hostile  party  made  'wo  prisoners  two  days  after- 
ward at  Lower  Ashuelot,'  but  lost  one  of  tlieir  number  in 
another  attempt  upon  the  little  fort  at  tipper  Ashuelot. 
About  the  same  time,  a  party  of  savages  made  an  incur- 
sion into  Bernardatown,  in  Massachusetts.  Th^y  attacked 
a  house  garrisoned  by  only  three  men,  but  the  duty  of 
these  was  performed  so  effectively,  that  the  enemy 
retreated  with  two  of  their  warriors  mortally  wounded. 
On  their  way  through  Coleraine  they  ambuscaded  a  road 
near  one  of  the  forts,  and  fired  upon  a  party  consisting 
of  a  man,  his  wife  and  oanghter,  and  two  soldiers.  Thd 
first  was  killed ;  and  the  woman  and  her  daughter  wound- 
ed. But  on  losing  one  of  their  number  by  the  fire  of  the 
soldiers,  the  enemy  made  oft'.'  On  the  twenty-fourth  of 
May,  a  company  of  troops  sent  for  the  defence  of  the  in- 
habitants, was  drawn  into  an  ambuscade  in  !N'nmber-Four, 
and  in  a  smart  skirmish  which  ensued,  five  men  were 
killed  on  each  side — the  Indians  gaining  the  advantage  of 
making  a  prisoner.  A  month  afterward  another  spirited 
affair  occurred  at  the  same  plaoe.  In  this  instance  the 
dogs  were  the  most  vigilant  sentinels,  but  for  whom,  Oap- 
tains  Stevens  and  Baker  would  probably  have  been  drawn 
into  a  fatal  ambuscade.  The  Indians  having  been  disco- 
vered, the  provincial  detachment  had  the  advantage  of  the 
first  fire.    After  a  brisk  encounter,  the  Indians  were  driven 

^Bosoawen. 

'Swansey.  -   r--,;'' ■■•;■■.- ;,;v,,,    ..,;••' 

*  EojVb  Antiquitiu.  , 


LIPB   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    DART. 


228 


away — leaving  evidences  of  considerable  loss.  Only  one  chap. 
of  the  provincials  was  killed,  but  there  were  five  wound-  w^ 
ed.  The  bodies  of  several  Indians  were  afterwai'ds  dis-  174G. 
covered,  concealed  in  a  swamp.  Guns,  hatchets,  spears, 
and  other  warlike  articles,  were  left  by  the  Indians,  the 
sale  of  which  produced  to  the  victors  between  seventy  and 
eighty  pounds.'  On  the  twenty-fourth  of  June,  two  men 
were  killed,  and  two  taken  prisoners  at  Fort  Dummer. 
One  of  the  prisoners  killed  an  Indian  before  he  was  taken. 
Three  days  afterward  a  party  of  laborers  wore  attacked 
in  a  field  in  Rochester,  only  twenty  miles  from  Ports- 
mouth. The  men  were  unarmed.  Four  of  them  were 
killed,  and  the  fifth,  wounded,  was  made  prisoner.  He 
was  taken  into  Canada,  as  the  other  prisoners  had  been, 
being  carefully  attended  to  on  the  way  until  his  wounds 
were  healed.  A  lad  was  likewise  made  prisoner  in  anoth- 
er part  of  the  town — the  men  with  whom  he  was  at  work, 
making  their  escape.  Yet  another  man  was  killed  in 
Rochester  soon  afterward.  On  the  third  of  July,  an  am- 
buscade was  discovered  in  Hinsdale,  but  the  Indians  were 
put  to  flight.  One  month  afterward,  they  again  revisited 
Number-Four,  and  killed  two  men  and  several  cattle. 
Two  men  were  surprised  and  taken  on  the  sixth  of  Au- 
gust, at  Contoocook ;  and  a  large  party  visited  Penacook," 
and  formed  an  ambuscade  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  a 
congregation  while  at  worship  in  their  church.  But  ob. 
serving  that  the  men  were  well  armed  with  carnal  weap- 
ons, they  delayed  an  attack  until  che  next  morning,  when 
five  men  were  killed,  and  two  taken  prisoners.*  Murders 
were  also  committed  again  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fcrt 
Dummer ;  at  Hinsdale ;  in  Winchester,  Poquaig,*  Green- 
field ;  at  r  enacook,  and  in  several  other  places.    At  Pen- 


*  ManuscT  pt  journal  of  Deacon  Noah  Webster. 

•Concord. 

'  Belknap   is  the  authority   for  several  of  these  accounts  of  the  border 
Bkirmishes  of  1746.     See  also  Hoyt'g  Antiquities. 

*  Afterward  called  Athol. 


224 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOirXflOX,   DART. 


II 

4 


CHAP,  acook  five  persons  wore  killed.*      These   hostile  parties 

wy—  chiefly  came  from  the  St.  Francis  country,  through  Lake 

1*46.  Memphremagog.      The    priwoucrs    tukon     were   rarrit'd 

into  Canada,  where  some  of  them  died,   but  the  greater 

number  were  subsequently  redeemed  or  exchanged. 

But  in  addition  to  these  partizan  operations,  painful  to 
neighborhoods,  yet  more  irritating  than  important  in  their 
influence  upon  the  war,  there  was  one  of  a  more  formida- 
ble character.  It  has  already  been  seen  that  the  French 
were  concentrating  a  strong  force  at  Crown  Point ;  and  it 
happened  that  at  the  very  time  when  Governor  Clinton 
was  opening  his  conferences  with  the  Six  Nations,— a 
combined  force  of  French  and  Indians  was  within  so  short 
a  distance  of  Albany,  that  had  the  officers  and  citizens 
there  assembled  been  aware  of  the  fact,  they  would  most 
likely  have  felt  rather  uneasy  in  their  seats.  On  tie 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  the  New  England  colonies  had 
erected  a  chain  of  small  works — stockades  and  block 
houses — along  tbe  frontiers  of  Maine  and  New  Hamp- 
shire, from  Saco  to  Charlestown, — thence  down  the  Con- 
necticut river  to  Greenfield.  The  old  defences  at  the 
place  last  mentioned,  apd  at  Northfield,  were  repaired ; 
and  another  cordon  of  similar  works  was  extended  from 
the  Connecticut  across  the  Hoosic  mountain,  to  the  terri- 
tory now  forming  the  towns  of  Adams  and  Williamstown ; 
thence  south  through  Pittsfield,  Stockbridge  and  Sheffield, 
at  each  of  which  points  stockades  were  erected,  and  also 
at  Blanford,  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  the  principal  road 
from  the  east  to  Kinderhook  ai* d  Albany.  The  general 
command  of  this  territory,  belonged  to  Colonel  John 
Stoddart,  of  the  Hampshire  militia  regiment;  but  the  y 
immediate  command  of  the  posts  west  of  Hoosic  mountain, 
was  confided  to  Captain  Ephraim  Williams,  whose  head- 
quarters were  in  a  work  of  considerable  strength,  called 
Fort  Massachusetts,  up<»u  the  Hoosic  river,  within  the 
bounds  of  what  is   now  the  town  of  Adams.     Small  but 

I  Hoyt'a  Anliquitiet. 


LIFE  OF   SIB  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    DAHT. 


:225 


active  scouting  parties  were  kept  ranging  IVom  post  to  chaf. 
post ;   and  such  was  their  vigilance  that  the  Massuchurtetts  wv— ' 
border  suft'cred  but  little  during  the  yearw  1744  and  1745,  ^'*®' 
gave  by  the  two  successive  incursions  of  tlio  enemy  upon 
the  Great  Meadow   settlement   above   Fort  Dumnior;    in 
both  of  which  a  few  persons  wore  killed,  and  a  few  others 
carried  into  captivity.     Irritated,  Ijowever,   by  the  loss  of 
Louisburg,  the  French,  M'ith  their  dusky  allies,   became 
more  active,  ag  well  as  more  savage,  along  the  wlu)le  bor- 
der, as  the  reader  has  seen  in  the  rapid  account  just  given 
of  their  incursions. 

But  the  largest  demonstration  of  the  enemy  that  season, 
was  the  descent  of  Rigaud  de  Vaudreuil  from  Crown 
Point,  upon  the  post  already  described  as  Fort  Massachu- 
Botts,  which  was  invested  by  that  officer  about  the  middle 
of  August,  with  a  force  of  regular  troops  and  Indians 
numbering  nine  hundred  and  sixty-iive  men.  This  was 
the  extreme  northwestern  post  belonging  to  the  colony, 
whose  name  it  bore,  and  was  commanded,  as  heretofore 
stated,  by  Captain  Ephraim  Williams.  This  excellent  offi- 
cer, however,  with  the  greater  part  of  the  force  under  his 
immediate  command,  was  at  Albany  at  the  time  of  the 
invasion,  having  been  or'\t»re<i  to  join  the  proposed  expe- 
dition so  long  in  pre^  aration  for  the  conquest  of  Canada. 
Meantime  the  fon  was  left  in  charge  of  John  Hawks,  a 
soldier  of  approved  courage  and  discretion,  but  wliosb 
rank  was  no  hiirher  than  a  sergeant.  But  higher  honors 
were  in  reserve  for  him  as  the  progress  of  history  will  dis- 
close. The  number  of  men  in  the  garrison,  was  no  more 
than  thirty-five,  eleven  of  whom  were  sick.  This  small  force 
moreover  was  yet  farther  weakened  before  it  was  V  i  \  own  that 
an  enemy  had  arrived  to  besiege  it,  by  detaching  Doctor 
Thomas  Williams,  the  surgeon,  and  thirteen  men,  with 
directions  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  through  the  wil- 
derness to  Deerfield  on  the  Connecticut  river,  for  ammuni- 
tion and  other  supplies.  By  this  reduction,  the  serge^t? 
commander  was  left  with  but  eleven  effective  men  j    and 

a9 


226 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  when  the  great  disparity  of  the  respective  forces  is  consi. 
*-v— '  dered,  to  say  nothing  of  other  untoward  circumstances,  the 
1746.  defence  he  made  of  the  post  may  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  gallant  affairs,  of  no  greater  magnitude,  upon 
record.  The  enemy  showed  himself  before  the  slender 
works  on  the  nineteenth  of  August, — the  very  day  on 
whif.h  Mr.  Clinton  opened  his  conferences  with  the  Indi- 
ans at  Albany.  The  fort  was  most  unfavorably  situated 
for  defence,  its  site  having  been  designated  by  some  one 
who  must  have  been  lamentably  deficient  in  the  science 
of  war,  since  it  stood  in  a  low  long  meadow,  commanded 
by  heights  in  every  direction.  But  although  short  of 
ammunition  himself.  Hawks  was  aware  that  the  enemy 
had  no  artillery,  and  he  determiued  to  defend  the  post  as 
long  as  he  possibly  could,  in  the  expectation  that  the 
advance  of  so  large  a  body  of  the  enemy  must  be  known 
very  soon  at  Albany,  and  the  possible  hope  that  a  compe- 
tent force  might  be  detailed  from  the  main  army  to  his 
relief.  But  the  movement  of  M.  de.  Vaudreuil  had  been 
executed  with  such  profound  secrecy,  that  nothing  of  it 
was  known  at  Albany. 

The  enemy  commenced  his  attack  at  about  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  jind  qpntinued  it  briskly  until  the  same 
hour  in  the  evening — approaching  at  times,  within  the  range 
of  small  shot.  The  fire  was  returned  with  vigor  and  effect 
from  the  foil;,  until  about  one  o'clock  past  meridian,  when 
the  sergeant  discovered  that  his  ammunition  was  so  near 
exhaustion  as  to  require  an  order  that  no  man  should  fire 
save  when  a  fair  opportunity  was  presented  of  doing  exe- 
cution. Such  an  order  was  disheartening;  but  it  was 
obeyed  with  advantage  as  was  soon  perceptible  from  the 
deliberation  of  every  subsequent  shot,  and  the  obvious  fre- 
quency with  which  they  told.  The  men  were  sharp-shoot- 
ers, and  by  singling  out  their  objects  among  their  assailants, 
many  were  brought  down  even  at  long  shots, — some  of 
them  falling  while  standing,  as  they  supposed,  in  perfect 
security.    Two  soldiers  of  the  garrison  only  were  wounded 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


227 


on  that  day.  The  fort  was  entirely  surrounded  during  the  chap. 
night  following, — the  night  itself  being  rendered  hideous  v— y—* 
by  the  dismal  bowlings,  and  the  warlike  songs  and  revel-  ^^46. 
ries  of  the  Indians.  With  the  return  of  light  the  attack 
was  renewed,  and  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon,  one  of  the 
brave  fellows  in  the  fort  was  killed.  At  twelve  o'clock  me- 
ridian, the  assailants  ceased  firing,  and  an  Indian  was  sent 
forward  with  a  flag  to  request  a  parley.  The  invitation 
was  acceded  to,  and  the  sergeanty  accompanied  by  two  or 
three  of  his  comrades,  repaired  to  the  head  quarters  of  the 
French  commander,  who  ofl^red  honorable  terms  of  capitu- 
lation. Hawks  returned  with  the  proposal  to  the  fort,  and 
convoked  his  little  army  as  a  council  of  war.  Prayer  for 
wisdom  and  direction  from  above  was  oflered  by  Mr.  Nor- 
ton, their  chaplain,  whereupon  in  view  of  their  exhausted 
magazine,  and  the  fact  that  their  number  was  reduced  to 
eight  efiective  men,  it  was  resolved  to  accept  the  proffered 
terms  and  surrender.  By  those  terms  they  were  to  be  re- 
ceived as  prisoners  of  war,  and  to  be  treated  with  humani- 
ty until  ransomed  or  exchanged, — terms,  moreover,  which 
the  French  commander  would  not  probably  have  granted, 
had  he  known  either  the  weakness  of  the  fort,  or  of  the 
force  defending  it.  There  was  also  a  farther  stipulation 
that  the  prisoners  should  not  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of 
the  Indians.  The  enemy  took  immediate  possession  of  the 
fort  and  rar  up  their  colors ;  but  they  nevertheless  seemed 
in  equal  haste  to  depart,  and  actually  set  the  works  on  fire 
before  they  had  plundered  the  cellar  of  its  stores. 

The  articles  of  capitulation  were  not  strictly  observed  by 
M.  Vaudreuil,  and  several  of  the  prisoners  were  allotted 
to  the  savages,  by  whom  one  of  them  was  killed.  The 
others  were  all  kindly  treated,  both  by  the  French  and  their 
uncivilized  allies.  There  were  in  the  fort  two  women  and 
several  children, — to  the  number  of  the  latter  one  being 
added  on  the  second  day  of  the  march.  But  mother  and 
child  were  kindly  borne  along  by  the  Indians,  and  the  little 
stranger  brought  thus  rudely  into  the  world,  was  baptized 


¥. 


'-mmiu^ 


228 


LIFE  OF  StR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART* 


1746 


CHAP,  by  the  chaplain.  The  prisoners  were  taken  to  Crown 
.* Point,  and  thence  to  Canada, — the  gallant  sergeant  being 
'  every  where  treated  by  the  Irench  officers  as  brave  men 
should  ever  treat  the  brave.  Arriving  successively  at  Cham- 
blee,  Montreal  and  Quebec,  they  met  with  numbers  of  their 
countrymen  in  captivity ;  but  they  were  themselves,  for 
the  most  part,  ultimately  redeemed  or  exchanged)  and  en- 
abled to  return  to  their  own  homes.  Sergeant  Hawks  with 
several  of  his  companions,  was  shipped  from  Quebec  to 
Boston.  The  number  of  the  enemy  killed  or  badly  wound- 
ed during  the  siege,  was  forty-seven.  After  the  capitula- 
tion, it  was  ascertained  that  the  besiegers  were  lying  in  am- 
buscade in  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort,  watching  for  an 
opportunity  to  take  it  by  surprise,  at  the  time  of  Doctor 
Williams's  departure  in  quest  of  supplies  on  the  Connecti- 
cut river.  They  had  probably  no  idea  that  the  doctwr's 
small  party  of  thirteen  had  constituted  more  than  one-third 
of  the  garrison ;  and  they  allowed  the  little  platoon  to  pass 
without  molestation,  in  order  to  prevent  an  alarm  that 
would  have  discovered  their  presence  and  object. ' 

Remarkable  was  the  conduct  of  the  Indians  in  this  affair 
toward  the  prisoners.  It  is  a  single  bright  spot  of  relief  in 
the  generally  dark  and  bloody  picture  of  savage  warfare. 
But  there  was  an  episode  to  the  siege  and  capture  of  the 
fort,  of  a  deeply  tragic  character.  •  Vaudreuil's  Indians, 
numbering  about  fifty,  crossed  the  Hoosic  mountain,  with 
the  design  of  falling  upon  Deerfield.  Having  reconnoitred 
the  village,  however,  an  open  attack  was  judged  to  be  im- 
prudent. They  accordingly  withdrew  two  miles  south,  and 
formed  an  ambuscade  upon  the  margin  of  a  meadow  of 
newly-mown  hay,  for  the  purpose  of  rushing  upon  the  hay- 
makers when  they  should  come  out  to  their  work.  Their 
object  was  rather  to  make  captives  than  to  kill ;  and  but 

*  My  authority  for  the  facts  given  in  the  present  account  of  the  chiTalrous 
defence  of  Fort  Massachusetts,  is  the  unassuming  manuscript  journal  of 
Sergeant  Hawks  himself,  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  8.  W.  Williams,  of 
Deerfield,  grandscn  of  Surgeon  Williams  mentioned  in  the  text. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


229 


for  an  accident,  that  object  would  probably  have  been  ac-  chap. 
complished  by  the  seizure  of  the  laborers  of  two  families,  .-v-' 
with  several  children,  numbering  in  all  ten  persons,  who  ^^*®* 
came  to  the  meadow  in  the  morning  as  the  savages  had  an- 
ticipated.   Alarmed  by  the  discharge  of  a  gun  aimed  at  a 
partridge  by  a  fowler  who  happened  to  be  shooting  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  place  of  their  concealment,  the  In- 
dians started  up,  and  first  killing  the  fowler,  rushed  down 
upon  the  laborers  in  the  meadow.    Those  of  the  latter  who 
were  men,  being  armed,  made  a  resolute  stand  for  their 
own  lives,  and  the  defence  of  the  children.    A  struggle, 
vigorous  and  fierce,  ensued ;  but  the  disparity  of  force 
was  great,  and  three  of  the  men  were  killed  and  scalped. 
A  daughter  of  one  of  the  slain  was  likewise  severely  - 
wounaed  by  a  blow  from  a  tomahawk,  and  left  upon  the 
field  as  dead ; — but  she  recovered,  and  lived  to  an  advanced 
a^e.    One  of  the  lads  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  and 
,.  :>    •  r>  ied  away, — ^the  residue  of  the  party  making  good 
tl  ■■'■■     'jape.  * 

Meantime  the  summer  had  passed  away,  and  with  it  the 
best  season  for  active  operations  against- Crown  Point  and 
the  French.  General  Gooch,  who  had  been  commissioned 
by  the  crown  for  the  special  service  of  conducting  the  ex- 
pedition, had  declined  the  appointment;  and  the  chief 
command  of  the  forces  at  Albany,  had  thus  far  devolved 
upon  Governor  Clinton.  •  With  great  pains  and  labor,  the 
Iroquois  Confederacy  had  finally  been  prevailed  upon  to 
take  an  efficient  part  in  the  contest,  but  there  was  not  yet 
an  immediate  demand  for  their  services  in  a  body ;  although 
at  this  late  day  it  seems  strange  that  large  numbers  of  them 
were  not  employed  in  connection  with  the  rangers  who  had 

^Hoyt's  Antiquitiei. 

*  Major  General  Sir  William  Oooch  was  lieutenant-gorernor  and  gorernor 
of  Virginia  from  1727  to  1749.  "  He  sustained  an  excellent  character,  and 
was  popular  in  his  administration."  He  had  superior  military  talents,  and 
commanded  a  diTision  of  the  forces  in  the  unsuccessful  attack  on  Cartha- 
genainl740.  ,,.,  .,_         .  -.  .u-ii"' 


*#' 


230 


LWB  OP  8IR  WILLIAM  JOHNSOK,  BART. 


liiH:^ 


CHAP,  been  sent  out  from  Albany  to  scour  the  forests,  and  watch 
•— ^-z  the  motions  of  the  enemy  at  the  north.    It  certainly  argues 
^'"  great  negligence,  somewhere,  that  so  large  a  for je  aB  that 
led  against  Fort  Massachusetts  by  M.  Vaudreuil,  could 
\&ve  made  such    movement,  approaching  as  it  did  within 
forty  miles  of  Albany,  without  the  fact  being  known  at 
headquarters  until  after  the  invaders  had  retired.    Yet  it 
appears  to  have  been  so.    Equally  in  the  dark,  moreover, 
wao  Mr.  Clinton  in  regard  to  the  state  of  affairs  in  New 
England ;  and  on  the  sixteenth  of  September,  timely  ad- 
vices not  having  been  received  from  Shirley  and  Warren, 
the  governor,  witli  his  council,  came  to  the  reluctant  de- 
cision that  the  season  for  active  military  operations  was  so 
far  advanced  as  to  render  an  expedition,  e  v'cn  against  Crown 
Point,  impracticable,  and  that  nothing  more  could  then  be 
done  than  to  make  the  necessary  dispositions  for  theise- 
curity  of  the  frontiers.  ^    Four  days  afterward  letters  were 
received  both  from  Governor  Shirley  and  the  admiral,  the 
former  announcing  that  he  had  appointed  General  "Waldo, 
of  Massachusetts,  to  the  command  of  the  northern  expe- 
dition, in  the  place  of  General  Gooch. '    But  it  was  now 
too  late ;  and  the  high  hopes  of  the  people  were  dashed 
with  bitter  disappointment.    The  parent  government  had 
entirely  failed  in  every  engagement.    Neither  a  fleet  of 
adequate  force,  nor  the  promised  troops  under  Sir  Johu 
Sinclair,  had  appeared  ;  while  the  threatened  invasion  of 
the  New  England  coast  by  France,  had  placed  those  colonies 
entirely  on  the  defensive,  and  it  now  only  remained  for 
New  York,  instead  of  attempting  a  descent  upon  Crown 
Point,  to  prepare  winter  quarters  for  her  own  levies,  and 
to  adopt  such  measures  as  would  afford  the  best  security  to 
her  frontiers. 

To  this  end  Mr.  Johnson  was  directed,  on  his  return  to 
the  Mohawk  castle,  to  organize  war  parties  of  the  Indians, 
and  send  them  to  harrass  the  French  settlements  in  Canada. 

-  -■   -   ■  " '  II      ■  ■ 

iManiT  jcript  proceedings  of  the  oouncil  board.    . 
■  Manuscript  journals  of  the  oounoil  board. 

/ 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


281 


he   ilia  ilrst  efforts  were  discouraging.    Many  of  the  In- chap. 
dians  had  contracted  the  small-pox  at  Albany,  and  a  con-  v-v-' 
eiderable  number  of  their  finest  young  men  had  died  of  ^^'*^- 
the  pestilence,  either  while  journeying  homeward,  or  after 
reaching  their  castles.    It  was  during  their  affliction  from 
this  at  that  period  appalling  disease,  that  Mr.  Johnson  was 
pressing  them  to  go  against  the  enemy ;  and  his  urgency,  on 
one  occasion,  drew  a  rebuke  from  a  sachem  of  the  Canajo- 
harie  clan,  chat  was  full  of  feeling : — "  You  seem  to  think, 
that  we  are  brutes,"  said  the  first  chief;  "  and  that  we  have 
no  sense  of  the  loss  of  our  dearest  relations,  and  some  of 
the  bravest  men  we  had  in  our  nation.    You  must  allow  us 
time  to  bewail  jur  misfortune." 

Nevertheless,  early  in  October,  a  party  of  seventy  war- 
riors, composed  of  some  from  each  of  the  cantons,  was 
made  up  for  the  purpose  of  harrassing  the  Canadian  border. 
Several  Englishmen  accompanied  this  party,  as  well  to  as- 
sist, as  to  be  witnesses  of  their  conduct,  under  the  lead  of 
a  son  of  Captain  Butler,  of  the  royal  forces.  But  they  had 
not  been  out  many  days  before  Mr.  Butler  fell  sick  of  the 
emall-pox,  and  five  of  the  Indians  were  obliged  to  return 
to  cany  him  back.  The  residue  continued  their  courie, 
being  instructed  to  avoir",  the  paths  and  water-courses 
usually  traveled  between  the  English  and  French  colonies, 
and  to  thread  the  woods  and  cross  the  mountains  in  such 
manner  as,  if  possible,  to  escape  observation.  .Another  small 
party  was  sent  forth  to  hover  about  the  precincts  of  Crown 
Point  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  intelligence,  and  render- 
ing such  other  service  as  chance  and  opportunity  might  re- 
quire. After  the  return  of  Mr.  Butler  the  first  party  found 
it  (Expedient  to  divide, — thirty  of  the  Indians,  with  ten  white 
men,  taking  one  direction,  and  the  residue  striking  off  in 
another.  The  first  division  fell  upon  a  French  settlement 
on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  ten  leagues  above 
Montreal;  killed  and  scalped  four  people,  and  broufjht 
away  ten  prisoners,  one  of  whom  was  a  captain  of  mihtia. 


fill 


,,  *l' 


232 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP.  Another  party  of  nine  luu^ans  entered  Canada  still  nearer 


to  Montreal,  and  mingled  with  the  Caughnawagas,  under 
^^^^'  the  guise  of  friendship.  Their  dissimulation  was  carried 
still  farther,  for  they  allowed  themselves  to  be  taken  to 
Montreal,  where  they  had  an  interview  with  the  governor, 
and  by  whom  they  were  dismissed  with  presents.  So  well 
did  they  play  their  part  that  they  were  entrusted  with  of- 
ficial dispatches  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Crown  Point, 
and  were  also  charged  with  letters  from  officers  to  their 
friends  at  that  post.  These  communications  were  all  de- 
\i\  ered  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Albany  on  their  re- 
turn. They  moreover  had  the  good  fortune  on  their  way 
back  to  surprise  a  small  French  defence,  in  which  they 
killed  five  men,  bringing  away  one  prisoner  and  one  scalp.  • 
But  notwithstanding  the  mortifying  failure  of  all  the 
plans  of  the  year  for  such  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the 
war  as  it  was  supposed  must  result  in  the  subjugation  of 
Canada,  the  immense  preparations  of  the  French  for  the 
reconquest  of  Cape  Breton,  and  possibly  the  invasion  of 
New  England,  were  equally  abortive,  and  her  high  hopes 
were  likewise  overthrown.  The  grand  armament  destined 
upon  this  service  has  been  described  in  a  former  part  of 
the  present  chapter.  Its  misfortunes  were  truly  remarka- 
ble. Indeed  before  the  summer  was  entirely  gone,  such 
accounts  were  received  in  Boston  of  its  distresses,  as  very 
materially  to  lessen  their  apprehensions  of  an  invasion,  even 
if  the  promised  augmentation  of  Admiral  Townsend's  na- 
val force  at  Cape  Breton  should  not  be  realized.  The  num- 
ber of  vessels  in  the  French  armament  has  already  been 
stated.  Comprised  in  that  number  were  eleven  ships  of 
the  line,  thirty  smaller  vessels  carrying  from  ten  to  thirty 
guns  each,  with  transport  ships  conveying  land  forces  to 
the  number  of  three  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty  men. 
To  this  force  a  squadron  of  four  ships,  under  Admiral 
Conflours  from  the  West  Indies,  was  to  be  added, — 
D'Anville,  the  commander  of  the  whole,  being  a  nobleman 

^  Colden's  agoount  of  the  treaty  at  Albany. 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BABT. 


2S8 


17M. 


of  high  qualities  and  courage,  in  whose  conduct  the  ut-  ch\p. 
moat  confidence  was  placed.  On  arriving  in  Nova  Scotia,  • 
the  land  forces  were  to  have  teen  joined  by  seventeen  hun- 
dred Canadians  and  Indians,  who  were  already  in  arms, 
awaiting  their  debarkation.  The  main  squadron  of  the 
French,  fitted  at  Rochell  ^  ivas  ready  for  sea  in  the  begin- 
ning of  May,  but  was  prevented  by  contrary  winds  from 
getting  out,  until  the  twenty-second  of  June.  This  delay 
seems  to  have  been  ominous  of  the  train  of  adverse  cir- 
cumstances which  followed.  A  series  of  disasters  retarded 
the  progress  of  the  fleet,  and  weakened  its  power.  The 
Count  did  not  pass  the  "Western  Islands  until  the  fourth  of 
August.  On  the  twenty-fourth,  yet  distant  three  hundred 
leagues  from  Nova  Scotia,  one  of  the  ships  proving  un- 
eeaworthy,  was  burnt.  In  a  storm  on  the  first  of  Septem- 
ber, two  ships,  one  of  seventy-four,  and  the  other  of  sixty- 
four  guns,  were  so  much  damaged  in  their  masts,  that  they 
were  obliged  to  bear  away  for  the  Weft  Indies ;  and  on  the 
fifteenth,  the  Ardent,  also  of  sixty-four  guns,  found  it  neces- 
sary to  put  back  to  Brest,  in  consequence  of  a  pestilential 
fever,  which  broke  out  among  the  crew.  D'Anville  arrived 
at  Chebucto  on  the  twelfth  of  September,  vtdth  but  two 
ships  of  the  line,  and  only  three  or  four  of  the  transports. 
One  ship  cnly  had  arrived  before  him  ;  and  after  waiting 
three  days,  finding  himself  joined  by  only  three  more  of 
the  transports, — and  having  heard  by  an  intercepted  dis- 
patch from  Shirley,  that  the  English  fleet  had  arrived  on 
the  coast  in  pursuit  of  him,  although  Shirley's  information 
was  incorrect, — the  admiral  died  suddenly, — by  apoplexy, 
according  to  the  French  accounts,  and  by  poison,  eelf- 
adrainistered,  according  to  the  English.  Monsieur  de  la 
Jonqiii^re,  Governor  General  of  Canada,  an  officer  of  age 
and  experience,  was  on  board  of  D'Anville's  ship,  the 
Horthumberland ;  and  having  been  created  a  chef  d'eseadre 
previous  to  the  sailing  of  the  fleet,  by  the  death  of  the 
admiral,  he  succeeded  to  the  command.    Two  days  after? 

30 


•fefc.. 


# 


284 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  ward  the  vice  admiral  D'Estoumelle,  came  up  with  three 
s_y— /  or  fotir  more  of  the  missing  ships,  and  a  council  of  war 
1746.  ^ag  thereupon  called  to  determine  what  next  should  be 
done.  Considering  the  extent  to  which  thei.r  forces  had 
been  weakened  by  such  a  succession  of  calamities,  equally 
unlooked  for  and  severe,  the  absence  of  many  of  the  regu- 
lar troops  who  were  on  board  the  missing  and  disabled  ves- 
sels, and  the  sickness  of  many  more  among  whom  the  fever 
was  raging  with  v.'olence,  the  vicp-"  imiral  proposed  return- 
ing to  France.  leing  strenuously  opposed,  however,  in 
this  suggestion  by  Jonqui^re,  and  overruled  by  the  council, 
D'Estournelle  fell  upon  h's  own  sword  and  died.  Jonquifere 
thought  himself  yet  in  a  condition  to  conquer  Annapolis- 
Royal  and  recover  Nova  Scotia,  and  made  his  dispositions 
for  that  object.  Most  of  the  sick  having  died  at  Chebucto, 
the  fleet  sailed  thence  with  the  residue  on  the  thirteenth  of 
October ;  but  a  violent  storm  was  encountered  two  days 
afterward,  when  off  Cape  Sable,  which  continued  several 
days  and  separated  the  fleet, — two  ships  only,  one  of  fifty, 
and  the  other  of  thirty-six  guns,  remaining  in  company. 
These,  on  approaching  Annapolis-Royal,  discovered  the 
Chester  man  of  war,  the  Shirley  frigate,  and  a  smaller 
British  vessel,  under  sail, — ^whereupon  they  retu:ed  under 
a  press  of  canvass,  to  return  no  more. 
'■>  Such  was  the  disastrous  termination  of  that  memorable 
expedition  from  which  so  much  had  been  expected  by 
France.  *  "Never  had  so  great  an  armament  been  dispatched 
from  Europe  to  North  America ;  and  never  had  any  proved 
more  inefficient. ' ' '  The  people  of  New  England  accustomed 
to  see  the  hand  of  Providence  in  every  event  of  human 
life,  viewed  their  deliverance  as  a  signal  and  direct  inter- 
position of  the  deity  in  their  behalf, — by  pestilence  and 
storm.  "  Never  was  a  disappointment  more  severe  on  the 
part  of  the  enemy ;  nor  a  deliverance  more  complete,  with- 


l¥i 


1  Hutohinson. 
>Graib»ia«. 


I.  'j.  -y 


LITB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


285 


out  human  help,  in  favor  of  this  country." '    Not  a  single  chap. 
honest  effort  had  been  put  forth  by  the  ministers  for  their  wv— ' 
defence  beyond  the  sending  of  Admiral  Townsend  with  ^'*®- 
reinforcements  for  .he  squadron  of  Commodore  Knowles 
atLouisburg;  <* and  these  two  commanders,"  saysGrahamej, 
**  doubtless  in  conformity  with  orders  which  they  had  re-' 
ceived,  contented  themselves  with  guarding  that  harbor 
from  attack,  without  making  the  slightest  demonstration 
in  support  of  New  England. ' '  .  i •  h i  . •>  vot*  * /!  i  {..u. 

Governor  Clinton  returned  to  New  York  early  in  Octo- 
ber, meeting  his  council  in  that  city  on  the  foui'teenth  of 
the  same  month  Before  leaving  Albany  he  had  made 
arrangements  for  a  winter  camp  at  that  place,  and  adopted 
measures  which  it  was  supposed  would  be  adequate  to  tho 
protection  of  the  frontiers.  His  detention  at  the  north  for 
nearly  three  months  had  been  unexpected,  and  his  exertions 
had  been  arduous  and  patriotic.  The  critical  state  in  which 
he  found  the  Indian  affairs,  required  the  exercise  of  all  the 
prudence  and  attention  in  his  power  to  bestow ;  and  in  their 
management  he  had  derived  but  little  assistantje  from  the 
Board  of  Indian  commissioners.  Great  dissatisfaction  had 
prevailed  respecting  the  conduct  of  this  board ;  and  know- 
ing that  the  governor's  confidence  had  been  withdrawn 
from  them,  several  members  of  the  commission  refused  to 
attend  the  council,  frankly  confessing  that  they  had  lost  all 
influence  over  the  Indians.' 

It  was  in  this  posture  of  that  important  branch  of  the 
public  affairs,  that  the  influence  and  services  of  Mr.  John- 
son were  invoked ;  and  the  management  of  that  depart- 
ment thenceforward  devolved  chiefly  up^a  him. 

In  addition  to  all  his  other  duties,  the  governor  had  been 
likewise  compelled  by  the  refusal  of  Gen.  Gooch  to  serve 
in  the  campaign,  to  assume  all  the  cares  and  responsibili- 
ties of  military  commander-in-chief;  and  the  cares  and 

'  Belknap. 

'  MaauMript  journals  of  the  oounoil  board.  '<.>.' 


li':^ '  'Ht^i 


38» 


LITE  OP  SIR   Wn.LIAM  JOHNSON,   BAOT. 


J 


o«Ai<.  reBponsibilitic?,  after  the  arrival  of  the  colonial  troops 
w^-*flrom  New  Jersey,  Pennsjlvania  and  Maryland,  irrespective 
1746.  Qf  tjjg  Indian  administration,  were  by  no  means  light. 
Environed  by  difflcnlties,  and  limited  in  his  meann,  contem- 
porary historians  havo  not  awarded  him  that  meed  of  jun- 
tice  to  which  he  was  nnqueationably  entitled  for  the  zeal 
with  which  he  labored  to  discliarge  his  public  duties. 

The  general  assembly  met  on  the  seventeenth  of  October ; 
and  the  governor,  being  indisposed,  instead  of  opening  tlie 
session  in  person,  sent  for  the  speaker,  and  through  him 
transmitted  a  copy  oi  the  speech  he  had  intended  to  deliver 
to  the  honae, — a  procedure  which  that  body,  acting  tinder 
Hi*  inilaence  of  De  Lance\ ,  and  not  coming  together  in 
the  best  possible  humor,  voted  to  be  not  only  unprece- 
dented, hvkt  irregular.  Be  Lancey,  it  will  be  remembered, 
on  his  rupturo  with  the  governor,  had  sworn  that  he  would 
tfaenceibrwtod  render  his  excellency's:  administration  un- 
comfortable ;  and  he  made  good  his  oath.  <'  Hia  uncommoD 
vivacity  wad  ease,  hi»  adroitness  at  a  jest,  and  bis  conde- 
scension to  hia  inferiors,  wonderfully  facilitated  his  pur- 
poaesi ;"  and  it  took  him  not  long  to  infuse  such  a  spirit  of 
fiuitaons  opposition  to  the  governor  that  the  assembly 
ptwuied  not  at  measuree  to  embarrasahim  of  the  most  inde- 
fensible character.  8tiU  the  assembly  proceeded  to  the 
couslderation  of  the  public  business.  The  speech  opened 
by  rekearsing  the  history  of  the  governor's  mission  to  Al- 
bany,— the  difficulties  that  had  attended,  and  the  measure 
of  Buecesa  which  bad  crowned  it.  Owing  to  misconduct 
oa  the  part  of  the  commissioners,  the  Indians,  who  had 
b«en  tampered  vrith  by  the  French,  had  weU.  nigh  gone  over 
to  them  ;  but  the  governor  said  he  had  fortunately  secured 
their  alliance,  and  it  remained  only  by  judicious  measures 
to  retain  their  friendship.  The  events  of  the  summer,  as 
connected  witii  the  prosecution  of  the  war, — feeble  enough 
in  every  respect, — ^were  spoken  of;  and  a  call  was  made 
for  increased  appropriations  for  the  Indian  service,  for  the 
construction  of  additional  defences  on  the  frontiers,  and 


* 


LIPB  OF  Bin  WILLIAM  JOnNSON",   BART. 


287 


especially  for  the  maintenance  of  a  winter  encampment  in  chap. 
the  neighborhood  of  Albany,  for  the  shelter  of  the  troops  w^^-* 
destined  agdmst  C'anada,  whenever  the  time  for  a  deciwve  ^'**- 
movement  should  arrive.    In  conclusion  the  speech  ex- 
horted the  assembly  to  union  and  harmony,  interposing  a 
caution  against  the  dangers  consequent  upon  encroach- 
ments by  either  branch  of  the  government  upon  the  consti- 
tutional privileges  of  the  others.   '  4»J  gfi/icjii  t-    v .'  .. 

The  speech  was  a  very  fair  one,  «nd  nothing  appears 
upon  its  face  dictated  otherwise  than  by  a  very  proper  spirit. 
Yet  such  was  the  temper  of  tbe  assembly  that  the  speech 
was  like  the  dropping  of  a  spark  into  a  magazine.  The 
house  was  instantly  inflamed.  Hiis  excellency's  "  persua- 
sions to  hannony  excited  only  to  discord ;"  and  in  the  con- 
cluding admonitions  against  encroachments  upon  the  pre- 
rogatives of  other  branches  of  the  i^overnment, — the  pre- 
rogatives of  the  crown  meaning, — the  assembly  discovered, 
or  affected  to  disicover,  a  degree  of  distrust  which  incensed 
them  exceedingly.  They  voted,  however,  the  sum  of  six 
thousand  five  hundred  pounds  for  tho  subsistence  of  the 
winter  encampment  at  Albany ;  but  provided  for  the  trans- 
portation of  supplies  to  that  city,  and  im>  farther, — refusing, 
in  efiect,  the  means  for  conveying  those  supplies  to  the 
several  posts  at  which  they  w«re  needed.  Farther  provision 
for  the  subsistence  of  certain  detachments  of  militia  which 
had  been  ordered  to  Albany  in  May  and  June,  was  likewise 
refused.  The  governor  promptly  sent  in  a  message  rebuk- 
ing the  legislature  for  its  parsimony,  and  inraating  that 
when  at  the  preceding  session  they  had  voted  to  provision 
the  forces  of  the  province  destined  against  Canada,  they 
had  as  a  consequence  pledged  themselves  to  bear  all  the 
charges  incident  thereto.  He  told  them  with  military  truth 
"  that  the  provisions  for  an  army  are  so  necessary  a  part  of 
all  warlike  enterprisee,  that  any  defeat  or  obstruction  in 
the  daily  supply  of  them,  might  defeat  the  beat  concerted 
measures ;  and  that  if  the  provisions  of  an  army  are  not 
subject  to  the  orders  of  the  commanding  officer;i  it  would 


^'"■«»i- 


LIPK   OF  BIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 

CHAP,  be  in  the  power  of  those  charged  with  furnishing  the  aup- 
w,^-^  plies,  to  frustrate  any  enterprise."  His  excellency  there- 
1746.  fQj.Q  required  a  grant  for  transporting  supplies  along  with 
the  forces,  to  whatever  parts  they  might  be  ordorcJ.  The 
assembly  was  also  informed  that  there  were  thirteen  hun- 
dred an<l  sixty  men  at  Albai  to  whom  but  a  portion  of, 
their  promised  enlistment  bounty  had  been  paid ;  and  the 
necessity  of  making  up  the  deficiency  was  urged  in  suitable 
terms,  for  the  prevention  of  irregularities  and  desertions. 
This  message  was  referred,  nemine  conlradicenle,  to  a  com- 
mitte  consisting  of  Colonels  Phillipse,  Morris  and  Schuy. 
ler,  with  instructions  to  prepare  an  humble  representation 
in  reply, — the  house  meantime  voting,  in  addition  to  the 
ordinary  civil  list,  only  the  deficient  bounty  money.  But 
before  the  committee  had  prepared  its  report,  information 
was  received  from  the  commissioners  having  in  charge'the 
purchasing  of  provisions  for  the  forces,  that  Henry  Hol- 
land, late  high  sherifl"  of  Albany,  by  order  of  Colonel 
Roberts,'  had  broken  open  the  store-houses  in  that  city, 
and  taken  thence  a  large  quantity  of  provisions  in  their 
custody  for  the  public  service. 

The  address  reported  by  the  committee,  was  an  answer 
both  to  the  special  message,  and  to  the  opening  speech  of 
the  session.  The  temper  of  this  document  was  such  as 
might  Avell  try  that  of  the  governor.  In  regard  to  the 
Indian  service,  the  committee  aft'ected  ignorance  either  of 
a  bad  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  or  the  pauses 
of  such  disposition  if  it  existed.  They  said  they  had 
voted  liberal  supplies  for  this  department,  and  for  the  cus- 
tomary presents  to  that  people,  adding  significantly,  "in 
what  manner  that  service  has  been  performed,  your  excel- 
lency, and  those  whom  you  have  thought  proper  to  employ, 

>An  officer  of  one  of  the  independent  companies,  now  raised  by  Mr- 
Clinton  to  the  ranlc  of  colonel  in  the  intended  expedition.  He  had  been  a 
cornel  of  horse  at  the  accession  of  George  I.,  and  was  connected,  by  his 
first  marriage,  with  the  earl  of  Halifax.  His  second  wife  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  that  Mr.  Harrison  who  had  so  deep  a  share  in  the  fUeds  of  Cosby 
and  Tan  Dam. — Smith. 


m- 


r 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   DART. 


289 


can  certainly  best  dotermino."  In  roapect  to  tho  alleged  chap. 
inismanugenient  of  tho  Indian  department,  tho  addiesa v— v— * 
avowed  the  readiness  of  the  anHombly  to  enter  upon  a  full  ^^*® 
investigation,  whenever  the  governor  should  communicate 
to  them  all  the  papetH  and  documents  connected  with  that 
branch  of  tho  public  service  since  the  commencement  of 
his  excellency's  administration, — until  which  time  no 
larger  sum  than  usual  would  be  voted  for  that  department, 
lest  there  should  be  further  misconduct.  The  winter  encamp- 
ment was  disapj.  ;oved  of,  as  being  calculated  to  retard 
rather  than  facilitate  the  meditatec'  invasion  of  Canada. 
The  soldiers  could  not  be  made  eomtortiiblo  in  the  climate 
of  Albany,  and  sickness  and  desertion  would  be  the  conse- 
quences of  attempting  to  keep  them  there.  The  add  re  's 
declared  that  larger  appropriations  had  been  voted  thaii 
even  the  king  had  expected.  The  imputation  of  parsi- 
mony was  therefore  repelled ;  as  also  was  the  intimat'pn 
that  the  most  perfect  harmony  did  not  exist  between  the 
different  branches  of  the  legislature.  It  was  farther 
declared  that  the  assembly  was  to  guard  against  the  private 
views  of  any  artful  or  desigrjiiig  men  ;  and  they  should  be 
sorry  to  find  that  any  such  men  could  prevail  upon  his 
excellency  to  break  that  harmony  so  necessary  for  the 
public  welfare ; — adding,  that  if  any  such  persons  had 
been  infusing  such  distrust  into  his  excellency's  mind,  they 
must  have  had  sinister  ends  in  view,  and  could  be  no 
friends  1  to  their  country.  Disclaiming  any  designs  to 
encroach  upon  the  prerogatives  of  others,  c  ;i'as  said  that 
although  collisions  had  happened  informed  -iines,  yet  they 
had  arisen  from  the  bad  advice  given  by  designing  men 
to  the  governors,  rather  than  from  an;/  wanton  stretch  of 
power  by  the  people.  In  regard  to  the  transportation  of 
the  army  supplies,  the  address  vindicated  the  action  of  the 
assembly,  declaring  "  the  circumstances  of  the  colony 
would  not  suffer  tbem  to  take  one  step  farther;"  but  the 
committee  nevertheless  concluded  their  report  with  an  as- 
surance that  as  far  as  was  con8isteD,t;  with  the  duty  Xhej 


•"t  -il  ■■■'■'  . 


wfik  t,  1 


240 


LIFE   OF  8IB,  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1740. 


CHAP,  owed  his  majesty,  they  would  always  endeavor  to  make 

»-v— '  his  excellency's  administration  easy.    This  last  declaratiou 

was  a  mere  flouriRh  of  rhetoric,  hollow  and  insio.-'ere. 

The  address  was  presented  to  the  governor  on  the  fifth 
of  November.  Throe  days  afterwai'd  the  committee  to 
which  had  been  referred  the  oomplpints  of  the  commis- 
sioners of  supplies  touching  the  conduct  of  Roberts  and 
Holland,  in  breaking  open  the  stores  of  the  commissariat 
at  Albany.  h»^ught  in  their  report.  The  documentary 
history  of  the  controversy  upon  this  subject  is  long.  In 
brief,  however,  it  appeared  that  in  order  to  supply  the 
deficiency  in  the  number  of  state  levies  caused  by  sickness, 
desertion,  and  death,  the  governor  had  annexed  to  these 
forces  four  companies  of  independent  fusileers,  the  supplies 
for  whom  did  not  fall  within  the  precise  letter  of  th^  act 
of  appropriation.  The  commissioners  of  purchases  Lad 
consequently  refused  to  issue  provisions  for  these  four 
companies,  in  the  face  of  an  express  order  of  ihe  governor. 
When,  moreover,  the  forces  at  Albany  were  ordered  to 
march  fi^r  the  carrying  place  m  route  to  Crown  Point,  the 
commissioners  refused  to  convey  the  provisions  to  tlie 
place  designated,  and  to  otlier  6*ontter  points  also,  for 
their  subsistence.  Under  these  circumstaneee,  having  an 
order  from  the  governor  to  meet  the  contingency,  issued 
under  a  special  impressment  act  of  the  general  assembly, 
Roberts  and  Holland  took  the  responsibility  of  taking  the 
necessary  supplies  from  the  store  houses  themselves,— 
Doctor  Colden,  one  of  the  governor's  council,  having 
sanctioned  the  procedure,  after  in  vain  threatening  the 
commissioners  with  removal  from  office  as  a  punishment 
for  their  contumacy.  But  it  has  been  seen  that  under  the 
influence  of  Mr.  DeLancey,  the  assembly  was  rife  for  a 
quarrel  with  the  governor ;  and  a  resolution  was  passed 
censuring  him  in  the  first  instance  for  the  warrant  that 
had  heen  issued  for  the  subsistence  of  the  fusileers.  A 
second  resolution  was  adopted  approving  of  the  conduct 
of  the  eommissioners ;  a  third,  declaring  the  warrant  of 


LIFE  OP   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


241 


Colonel  Roberts  to  Holland,  directing  him  to  open  the  chap. 
stores  for  supplies  to  be  arbitrary  and  illegal ;  a  fourth,  —v-* 
declaring  both  Roberts  and  Holland  guilty  of  a  high  mis-  ^'**'' 
demeanor ;  a  fifth,  declaring  the  breaking  of  the  store- 
houses, and  the  seizure  of  the  provisions,  to  be  a  manifest 
violation  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  subject;  a 
sixth,  declaring  that  Holland  was  guilty  of  a  high  crime 
and  misdemeanor  for  breaking  the  store-house ;  a  seventh, 
declaring  it  a  high  misdemeanor  for  any  person  in  authority 
to  attempt  by  threats  to  influence  any  officers  appointed 
by  law  to  violate  their  duty  ;  an  eighth,  applying  the  last 
mentioned  resolution  expressly  to  Cadwalladcr  Golden,  and 
declaring  him  guilty  of  the  crime  charged;  a  ninth,  de- 
claring that  it  would  be  in  vain  for  the  assembly  to  vote 
farther  supplies  until  an  effectual  stop  should  be  put  to 
snch  proceedings ;  and  a  tenth,  calling  upon  the  governor 
to  direct  the  attorney-general  to  prosecute  the  delinquents. 
Mr.  Clinton  replied  to  the  address  of  the  house  of  the 
fifth  of  November,   on  the   tenth,  with   firmness    and 
energy, — exhibiting  more  of  dignity,  and  less  of  imita- 
bility  than  might  have  been  expected  under  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case  from  his  choleric  temperaments    He 
had  supposed  the  bad  feeling  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  thd 
misconduct  of  the  Indian  commissioners,  matters  of  too 
great  notoriety  to  require  special  averments  or  commen- 
taries in  his  opening  speech.    But  in  order  to  thi©  better 
understanding  of  the  case  by  the  assembly,  he  had  ordered 
copies  of  the  documents  which  they  had  intimated  a 
desire  to  examine,  to  be  laid  before  them,  whenever  it 
might  suit  them  to  make  the  call.    Had  they  asked  for 
information  respecting  the  military  transactions  at  Albany, 
before  expressing  their  dissatisfaction  with  those  transac- 
tions, the  governor  suggested  that  they  might  possibly 
have  formed  different  opinions,  or  arrived  at  different 
conclusions  in  regard  to  them.    His  excellency  censured 
the  house  for  having  given  publicity  to  their  address; 
expressed  his  regret  that  his  recommendations  for  a  goo4 

31 


I 


y.        ■•lUi-^iJ^^ 


242 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP. agreement  among  the  different  branches  of  the  goveiu. 

»— .y— /  ment  in  times  of  danger  should  have  given  offence  ;  and 
'  ®  renewed  his  protestations  of  a  sincere  desire  to  cultivate  a 
spirit  of  harmony  in  his  administration.  "And  now 
gentlemen,"  he  added,  "I  think  this  is  an  occasion  on 
which  I  may  be  allowed  to  tell  you,  that  within  the  six 
months  last  past,  I  have  gone  through  with  more  diffi- 
culties, I  have  had  less  assistance,  and  I  have  done  more 
for  this  province,  than  I  believe  any  governor  of  New 
York  has  done  before  me ;  I  feel  in  my  own  heart  my  zeal 
for  my  king  and  my  country's  service ;  and  therefore  I  can 
with  pleasure  lay  the  account  of  my  administration  at  his 
majesty's  feet.  Meantime  I  shall  to  the  utmost  of  my 
power,  be  careful  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  every  man 
under  my  government.  I  shall  be  more  especially  careful 
6f  the  preservation  of  your  privileges ;  and  at  the  same 
time  to  preserve  that  part  of  his  majesty's  authority 
entrusted  to  me." 

This  message,  however,  having  been  prepared  in  answer 
to  the  proceedings  of  the  assembly  of  the  fifth  of  Novem- 
ber, formed  of  course  no  answer  to  the  resolutions  of  the 
eighth,  respecting  the  seizure  of  the  provisions  at  Albany 
by  Roberts  and  IJoUand,  and  demanding  the  arrest  and 
trial  of  those  officers.  Indeed  it  is  most  likely  that  those 
resolutions  had  not  been  communicated  to  the  governor  in 
form  when  this  message  was  delivered,  the  tone  of  which 
was  not  calculated  to  allay  the  already  excited  feelings  of 
the  legislature.  A  recess  of  ten  days,  from  the  fourteenth 
to  the  twenty-fourth  of  November,  was  allowed ;  and  on 
reassembling  of  that  body,  a  message  was  in  readiness  to 
meot  them,  extended  and  elaborate,  answering  the  resolu- 
tions of  the  eighth  seriatim^  and  justifying  the  proceedings 
at  Albany,  which,  his  excellency  declared,  had  been  direct- 
ed by  himself  and  his  council  under  the  pressure  of  the 
utmost  necessity. 

Viewing  the  transactions  in  question  at  this  length  of 
time,  although  the  commissioners  entrusted  by  the  assem- 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


248 


fA 


bly  with  the  supplies,  whose  duty  it  was  to  deliver  them  chap. 
out,  and  the  assembly  which  sustained  their  course,  had  w^ 
the  advantage  of  the  popular  side  of  the  controversy,  yet  *'^*^' 
it  seems  equally  certain  that  those  commissioners  acted  in 
a  manner  greatly  embarrassing  to  the  public  service  ; — for 
what  substantial  reason  does  not  appear.  Mr.  Clinton,  in 
obedience  to  the  orders  of  the  crown,  and  in  concert  with 
Governor  Shirley  and  Admiral  "Warren,  had  planned  what 
was  intended  to  be  a  final  and  decisive  descent  upon  Canada, 
—the  conquest  of  which  was  indispensable  to  the  security 
and  I'epose  of  the  English  colonies, — for  which  purpose  the 
forces  had  been  collected  at  Albany.  In  October  they  were 
ordered  to  advance  to  the  carrying-place  between  the  Hud- 
son river  and  Lake  Champlain, — to  which  point  the  com- 
missioners of  subsistence  were  requested  to  forward  the 
necessary  supplies  from  the  store  houses  in  Albany.  The 
request  was  refused  under  the  flimsy  pretext  that  they  were 
not  in  funds  that  could  be  applied  to  that  purpose.  Those 
commissioners  were  John  Cuyler  and  Dirck  Ten  Broeck. 
On  being  demanded  by  Colonel  Roberts  whether  they 
would  deliver  the  provisions,  should  the  means  of  trans- 
portation be  provided,  they  refused  because  they  had  no 
power,  as  they  alleged,  to  comply.  The  colonel  then 
demanded  whether  they  would  deliver  the  provisions  to  a 
commissary,  or  to  the  quartermasters,  under  the  warrant  of 
the  governor,  to  be  receipted  for.  This  request,  right  in 
itself,  and  reasonable  withal,  was  also  refused,  upon  the 
mere  technical  pretext  that  by  the  act  of  the  assembly  they 
were  allowed  to  deliver  supplies  "  only  to  the  captains." 
All  these  excuses  were  obviously  evasions.  The  Schuylers, 
whose  interest  was  powerful,  were  oftended  because  Mr. 
Johnson  was  rising  into  favor  in  the  Indian  department. 
De  Lancey,  who  had  been  succeeded  in  the  governor's 
affections,  by  Colden,  was  implacable ;  and  he  was  omnipo- 
tent with  the  assembly,  of  which  body  the  commissioners 
were  the  agents.  Hence  it  was  the  policy  of  each  of  these 
interests  to  embarrass,  rather  than  to  strengthen,  the  com- 


*•;-"• 


"»%. 


m> 


m 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BABT, 


(BHAP.  mander-in-chief.  Yet  the  frontiers  must  be  protected ;  and 
s-v— '  the  orders  to  Colonel  Roberts  were  peremptory  to  move 
1746.  jjjg  forces  northward  to  the  carrying-place.  A  council  of 
war  was  held  after  the  refusal  of  the  commissioners  to 
move  the  provisions,  consisting  of  Lieutenant-Colonels 
Boberts  and  Marshall,  and  Majors  Clarke  and  Ruther- 
ford,— the  latter  officer  being  also  one  of  the  executive 
council, — at  which  it  was  determined,  aa  the  only  alterna- 
tive in  the  emergency,  to  make  use  of  a  warrant  granted 
in  anticipation  of  some  such  act  of  contumacy,  authorizing 
the  impressment  of  the  necessary  supplies  from  the  colonial 
stores,  giving  a  receipt  for  the  same,  and  taking  all  proper 
measures  to  guard  against  waste  or  extravagance.  The 
case  was  stated  with  all  frankness  and  candor  in  the  mes- 
sage, yet  without  asperity.  But,  although  under  the  cir- 
cumstances then  existing,  it  is  difficult  to  perceive  what 
other  course  could  have  been  adopted  on  the  instant  of  tne 
emergency,  the  governor's  explanations  nevertheless  gave 
no  satisfaction  to  the  assembly,  as  was  made  fully  to  appear 
by  the  resolves  passed  two  days  afterward.  In  addition  to 
the  declaration  of  dissatisfaction,  it  was  resolved  that  no 
further  supplies  should  be  voted  while  the  abuses  of  which 
they  complained  were  openly  avowed  and  encouraged.  A 
thrust  wa?  likewise  aimed  at  Doctor  Golden,  who  had  con- 
curred in  the  proceedings  of  Colonel  Roberts,  and  who  had 
doubtless  advised,  if  he  had  not  prepared,  the  vindictory 
message,  by  a  resolution  declaring  "that  whoever  had 
advised  the  said  message,  had  endeavored  to  creat^  jealous- 
ies and  dissensions  among  the  several  branches  of  the  legis- 
lature ;  had  encouraged  a  manifest  breach  of  the  laws  of 
the  colony ;  and  were  enemies  to  the  constitution  thereof." 
But  notwithstanding  the  attitude  thus  ap^'med,  the  assem- 
bly still  avowed  its  readiness,  as  soon  as  proper  assurances 
were  given  that  the  alleged  abuses  should  be  effectually 
prevented,  to  vote  an  ample  allowance  for  the  subsistence 
pf  the  forces. 
Mr.  Clinton  was  either  alarmed  at  the  resolutions,  or  else 


-i. 


LtFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


245 


he  judged  it  uo  auitable  time  for  a  controversy.  His  mes- chap. 
aage  in  reply  was  conciliatory  if  not  yielding.  He  only  w^w 
required  that  for  the  future,  the  provisions  for  the  army  l'^^- 
should  be  delivered  out  agreeably  to  the  existing  engage- 
ments of  the  assembly,  in  which  case  nothing  that  had 
happened  could  or  should  happen  again.  He  alsu  pledged 
himself  that  all  possible  care  should  be  taken  of  the  pro- 
visions, and  exact  accounts  rendered.  This  advance  had 
the  effect  of  allaying  the  storm,  and.  the  assembly  applied 
itself  to  its  duties  in  a  spirit  that  encouraged  the  governor 
to  call  for  additional  supplies  for  the  maintenance  of  arti- 
zans  among  the  Senecas,  and  also  for  bounty  money  for 
female  scalps — bounties  being  allowed  only  upon  the  scalps  • 
of  meles  by  the  existing  laws.  The  immediate  cause  for 
preferring  this  request, — so  abhorentto  the  feelings  of  the 
present  day, — was  the  fact  that  a  party  of  the  Six  Nations 
had  recently  brought  in  thrr;e  female  prisoners  from  Canada, 
and  one  female  scalp.  Evidence  was  thus  afforded  that  tho 
Confederates  had  at  length  engaged  heartily  in  the  war ; 
and  the  governor  thought  they  should  be  encouraged  ia 
the  manner  proposed.  The  same  message  also  demanded 
supplies  for  Oswego,  and  announced  that  Mr.  Johnson  had  ■ 
become  the  contractor  for  that  post, — ^with  a  stipulation 
that  no  higher  charges  she  aid  be  made  in  time  of  war,  than 
it  had  been  usual  to  pay  in  time  of  peace.  Heed  was  taken 
of  these  requisitions,  and  the  necessary  supply  bills  both 
for  the  civil  and  military  service,  were  passed.  ^  An  act 
was  also  passed  authorizing  a  lottery  to  raise  two  thousand 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  for  founding  a  colle/^e  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  This  was  the  first  step  take>.  toward 
the  establishment  of  Ejngs,  now  Columbia  College, — so 
far  behind  the  colonists  of  New  England  were  those  of 
New  York,  on  the  great  subject  of  education.  * 

'ManuBoript  letter  from  Johnson  to  Capt.  John  CHhorwood,  acknow. 
ledging  receipt  of  adTicos  that  the  assembly  had  by  r-.  Mition  approved  of 
the  governor's  rcoommendation  that  he  (JohnBon)  should  supply  the  troops 
at  Oswego.     Thanks  the  governor,  and  promises  to  act  with  energy,  &c. 

*  This  was  at  the  distance  of  more  than  one  hundred  und  twenty  years 
after  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  New  Tork,  whereas  the  colonies  of 


„  %-  ':m 


i-,.  ;:'rf'^^f 


246 


LXVK  "F  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


i  ■!■■■     '^ 


-.ii-i  : 


;?!' 


ciup.  It  was  now  the  fourth  of  Decemher,  »nd  the  general  assem- 
.  -V—  ^^y  was  drawing  its  session  to  a  close.  Mr.  DeLancey,  how- 
17*6.  ever,  could  not  allow  the  session  to  terminate  wUliout  mak- 
ing another  dcaionstration  against  his  rival,  Doctcr  ( 'olden. 
On  the  day  '  ist  mentioned,  the  chief  j'lsti  >j  calloi  th;: 
attention  of  the  legislative  council  to  a  j'-anpiilot  giving  j.! 
account  of  the  Indian  negor,iatio  i  -  &t  AyuMxy,  .f  wK  ihHo 
much  has  already  been  saiu  in  the  present  •'  Hapter,  wherein 
it  was  set  forth  tliat  althou/h  the  governor  had  requested 
the  members  of  lus  council  to  attend  and  assist  in  those 
negotiations,  throe  only  had  com]>r'ed  wvth  the  requiei, '  lz: 
Messrs.  Tolden,  Livingston,  aad  Rut! lertord.  According 
io  that  M-rrative,  therefore,  his  eyoelumcy  had  bt.  ..  left  lo 
ti':X  with  the  smallest  number  of  coiintJ^Uors  t 'n at  could  cou- 
fctituf.  1,  iftHy  foiiii  a  board.  Mr.  DeLancoy  considered  thi& 
stii?;rtae;  t  a  refiection  upon  the  non-attending  councilors, 
&pA  .noved  that  the  printer  of  the  pamphlet  be  dummoned 
to  the  bar,  to  answer  as  to  its  authorship.  An  animated 
debate  enerued  upon  the  motion,  in  the  course  of  which  Dr. 
Colden  averred  the  authorship,  and  asBamed  the  responsi- 
bility of  its  publication.  Messrs.  Deliaiicey,  Horsmanden 
and  Murray  successively  uttered  some  animadversions  upon 
the  pamphlet ;  and  on  th«  motion  of  the  former,  a  vote  of 
censure  wcs  adopted,  denouncing  the  offensive  passage  as  a 
misrepresentation  of  the  facts,  and  an  invidious  reflection 
upon  those  members  of  the  council  who  did  not  accompany 
the  governor  to  Albany. 

Massaohusetts  itnd  Conneotiout  had  commonced  their  institulicQs  of  classi- 
oal  learning  very  soon  after  planting  t)ieir  coloniee  '  iith,  the  historian, 
states  that  for  many  years  within  his  reuolletition  the  jnl^  aoademios  in  ibc 
colony  of  New  York,  except  such  asirere  in  holy  orders,  were  Mr.  JUeLancey 
a  graduate  of  Cambridge,  England,  and  Mr.  Smith,  (the  historian's  fatLer,) 
who  was  at  the  bar.  At  the  time  even,  now  under  examination,  there  were 
not  above  thirteen  graduates  in  the  colony,  excluding  the  clergy.  Except 
Mr.  DeLancey,  there  was  then  no  graduate  of  .^  '*oIlege  upon  the  bench,  or 
in  either  of  the  branches  of  the  legislature.  T!<:  r>T  iotice  then,  even  of  the 
most  opulent  of  the  citizens,  whose  attention  >  '  ;(!'ierally  engrossed  with 
commerce,  was  to  sead  their  sons  directly  ^K'  .  writing  school  to  llie 
70ur   u^,  room,  and  (honoa  to  the  W«i^.  .  .iA'« 


■  f  ■ 


LIPK  OP  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    BART. 


247 


The  session  closed  on  the  following  day.    No  events  of  chap. 
public  or  political  importance  occurred  within  the  province  »_yw 
of  New  York  during  the  residue  of  Dacember ;  nor  did  the  ^'*®- 
enemy  after  the  capture  of  Fort  Massachusetts,  harrass  the 
northern  border  any  more  during  this  year. 

Meantime,  Mr.  Johnson  was  growing  rapidly  in  the  favor 
of  the  governor,  to  whom  he  paid  a  visit  in  New  York  . 
toward  the  close  of  the  autumn.  I  have  not  been  able  to  { 
discover  the  date  of  Johnson's  elevation  to  the  military  | 
rank  of  colonel ;  but  it  must  have  been  at  about  the  period  / 
of  time  now  under  review.  He  had  a  brother,  Wanen 
Johnson,  a  captain  in  the  royal  service,  who  had  recruited 
a  company  in  Boston  that  yeai*.  The  captain  wrote  to  his 
brother  William,  on  the  ninth  of  October,  that  his  uncle 
Warren,  (the  admiral,)  was  on  the  eve  of  sailing  for  Louis- 
burg,  and  that  his  lady  was  preparing  to  return  to  New 
York  to  pass  the  winter.  On  the  tenth  of  December,  the 
captain  was  in  New  York  on  his  way  to  the  Mohawk 
country  to  visit  his  brother.  By  his  hand,  under  the  last- 
mentioned  date,  governor  Clinton  addressed  a  letter  "  To 
Colonel  WilUam  Johnson,  at  Albany"  This  is  the  earliest 
document  I  have  found  among  the  Johnson  manuscripts) 
superscribed  with  a  military  title.  The  letter,  the  main 
purpose  of  writing  which  was  to  request  the  colonel  to  pur- 
chase for  his  excellency  a  pair  of  black  stallions,  contained 
the  following  passage  : — "  This  comes  by  your  brother.  I 
hope  he  will  find  you  well.  I  hear  nothing  of  news  but 
what  he  will  tell  you.  I  have  recommended  you  to  his 
majesty's  favor  through  the  duke  of  Newcastle.  I  must 
desire  you  will  keep  up  the  Indians  to  their  promises  of 
keeping  out  scouts  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  French." 
From  this  letter,  therefore,  it  is  probable  that  Clinton  had 
just  then  comml.3«ioned  Mr.  Johnson  9M  a  colonel,  subject 
to  the  approbato...  1  of  the  crown.        -  «    '-  f 

.rue  operat':ona  of  tUe  New  Englanders  in  Nova  Scotia, 
ended  disastrouBlj .  The  French  and  Indian  forces,  whose 
purpose  it  was  to  oooperat-    with  the  fleet  of  the  Count 


'ml 


iifi  ■■'■   ,-  " 

;.■!('■     '■'''■ 


248 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


^K 


-Hi 


1746 


CHAP.  D'Anville,  did  not  retire  from  that  peninsula  on  the  dis- 
'  persion  of  the  fleet,  and  General  Shirley  judged  it  neces- 
sary to  send  a  body  of  provincials,  to  dislodge  them.  The 
levies  from  Massachusetts,  with  the  exception  of  those  on 
board  of  one  of  the  transports  which  was  wrecked,  arrived 
at  Annapolis  in  safety,  as  also  did  two  hundred  of  the  Kew 
Hampshire  troops.  One  of  the  New  Hampshire  transports, 
after  a  blundering  cruise  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  was  decoyed 
to  a  French  sloop,  and  the  crew  captured.  The  Bhode  Island 
levies  did  not  reach  their  place  of  destination,  their  vessels 
being  wrecked.  In  the  course  of  the  winter,  the  Massachu- 
setts forces  at  Annapolis  being  inferior  in  numbers  to  the 
enemy,  yet  deceived  as  to  the  extent  of  the  disparity,  were 
drawn  into  the  field  by  false  representations,  and  defeated, 
after  a  severe  engagement,  in  the  midst  of  a  driving  snow 
storm  at  Minas.  -Col.  Arthur  Noble,  with  about  sixty  men, 
was  killed,  and  there  were  fifty  wounded.  Noble's  army  did 
not  exceed  six  hundred  men  ;  and  the  survivors  of  the  bat- 
tle, unable  to  escape,  were  compelled  to  capitulate.  Cheva- 
lier Ramsay  commanded  the  French ;  but  notwithstanding 
his  victory,  he  did  not  venture  to  attack  Annapolis,  nor  did 
the  French  inhabitants  yet  move  in  their  meditated  revolt.* 
The  posts  on  the  western  border  of  New  Hampshire,  had 
been  guarded  by  troops  fh>m  Massachusetts;  but  inas- 
much as  those  posts  were  without  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
colony,  the  garrisons  were  withdrawn  late  in  thi)  autumn. 
The  settlers  along  that  border,  being  left  thus  exposed,  fell 
back  upon  the  larger  towns — ^taking  away  such  of  their 
goods  as  they  could  remove,  burning  such  as  could  not 
be  concealed  in  the  earth  without  damage,  and  leaving 
the  residue  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  the  enemy.  But  the 
enemy  was  not  active  during  this  winter,  and  its  deep  repose 
in  the  forests  of  the  north  was  only  broken  once,  by  an 
attack  of  the  Indians  upon  Fort  Hinsdale,  occupied  only 
by  six  families,  by  the  stalwart  hands  of  which  the  post  was 
successfully  defended^ ''•  «>i*'fy^  '>^«i'    vT.iAnciii^^u^p.jti  fcsijrvs 

'  Belkii»p,  Orahame,  HutoUiuon,  Hoyt. 


."mi^  X'iHmtiih  iuiJknw  v«i»  to  «%.i 


m^ 


(^.tf^7'f: -:  r.        ,.■   ',  •.    ;■•  -  n^f  ,i»Tl»r  oJT   ■ 

InipatieDt  df  delay,  and  anxious  that  the  How  bo  Iou^ohap. 
meditated  against  Canada  might  be  struck  before  the,_^ 
French  should  have  power  to  repel  it,  the  active  mind  of  1747. 
Shirley  conceived  the  project  of  a  descent  upon  Crown 
Point  at  mid-winter.  The  legislature  of  Massachusetts 
was  readily  persuaded  to  second  the  enterprise;  and  on 
the  sixteenth  of  January,  Governor  Clinton  communicated 
to  his  council  a  very  long  letter  from  Mr.  Shirley,  setting 
forth  his  plans,  and  urging  the  cooperation  of  New  York, 
and  the  adoption  of  immediate  and  vigorous  measures  to 
that  end.  It  was  Shirley's  intention,  while  the  troops 
destined  directly  against  Crown  Point  were  concentrating 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Albany,  to  create  a  diversion  in 
the  enemy's  country,  by  detaching  a  force  of  five  hundred 
men,  to  march  through  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  and 
fall  upon  the  villages  of  the  St.  Francis  Indians,  two 
hundred  miles  north  of  the  English  settlements.  A  simi- 
lar movement,  for  the  like  object,  was  urged  upon  Gov- 
ernor Clinton,  to  be  made  against  Fort  Froutenac  by  the 
way  of  Oswego.  Could  the  French  be  thus  doubly 
distracted  by  simultaneous  attacks  at  those  distant  points, 
it  was  presumed  that  in  respect  to  the  grand  enterprise 
against  Crown  Point  and  Montreal,  there  could  remain  no 
well-founded  doubt  of  success.  Mr.  Shirley,  therefoi 
seeming  to  take  it  for  granted  that  New  York  would 
second  the  enterprise  without  hesitation,  much  less  with 
reluctance,  asked  for  the  services  of  its  levies,  then  in 
garrison  at  Albany,^  and  requested  that  accommodations 


lyi 


York  forces  during  the  winter  of  1746 — '47,  were  distributed 
32 


■:1: 


*Ji 


•  w 


Vj 


W:  0$f^  . 


•'■■   h  ^>'; 


1'^ 


i 


M 


250 


LIFB  07  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


n/- 


CHAP,  for  the  New  England  troopB  might  be  provided  at  Sara- 
Wy^toga.     Ho  desired  farther  that  the  Six  Nations  might  bo 
1747.  brought  into  the  iield,  and  tliat  forts  miu^ht  be  erected  by 
New  Y' ■  I    at  i'    heads  of  Lakes  Georgti  and  Champlain.* 
TLe  lett,*-      ,1,8  referred  to  a  committee  by  the  council, 
the  report  of  which  was  indecisive  and  unsatisfactory. 
The  committee  afiected  to  be  in  favor  of  the  enterprise, 
yet  doubted  the  practicability  of  carrying  it  into  execu- 
tion before  the  breaking  up  of  winter.    It  was  alleged 
that  there  were  b'I^.c..:*^  «* oommodations  for  the  New 
England  levies  at  Saratoga ;  the  forts  could  not  be  built 
in  time  to  guard  the  portages  at  the  heads  of  the  two 
lakes ;  and  as  to  the  proposed  design  against  Fort  Fronte- 
nac,  New  York  was  then  in  no  condition  to  undertake  it. 
On  the  whole,  therefore,  the  committee  thought "  a  venter 
campaign  against  Crown  Point  was  liable  to  many  diffi- 
culties, and  would  be  a  hazardous  undertaking."'  Governor 
Clinton  was  nevertheless  inclined  to  favor  Uie  scheme, 
wil4  and  impracticable  as  it  seemed  to  many ;  and  on  the 
second  of  February  he  requested  a  more  definite  expression 
of  opinion  by  his  council.    T^p  days  aii^rward   that 
opinion  was  given,  in  the  form  of  a  very  decisive  report 
against  the  whole  project.    It  was  urged,  not  without  rea- 
son, that  the  winters  in  that  high  northern  latitude  were 
at  best  exceed) Tigly  unfiivorable  for  military  operations, 
and  it  was  luore  tver  then  too  late.    The  warriors  of  the 
Six  Nations  could  not  by  any  possibility  be  collected  in  sea- 
fcon   fbr  th^.  contemi    ited  movement ;  tuid  besides,  more 
than  a  fortnight  had  intervened  since  a  syllable  had  been 
heard  f  '>-n  the  projector  of  the  expedition — Mr.  Shirley. 
It  wa«  <^herefore  hek!   as  presen;.  id,  to  he  utterly  impracti- 


3fe^ 


kt  Tsrioiu  points.    Some  w  r   |)08ted  at  oaratoga ;  other's  in  the  Mohtwk 
country;  and  otheiit     gain  a*    Soheneotady.     T)ireo  oompaniea  were  at 
Sohaghtiooke ;  foti. '         alf  ^  oon ;  two  at  Niskayuna,  and  others  still  at 
Albany. 
k  Shirley's  letter— ^  Minutes  o:  the  conaoil  board.        H!-.   \n  nv.nhw  v 

r  %mim     '  '  :.'.'T — ^'   -'■■■-■ — --    - ^ — 


(•■■   timt'S  «■>;.* 


«>vsi.<;    -AT- 


!■■■■•'/.  '■  !: 


Lira  OS*  SIR  WIT        ^t  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


251 


oable.^    Belknap  adds,  as  unotuer  reason  promptiog  to  this  chat. 

VII» 

conclusion,  that  the  small-pox  was  prevailing  in  the  settle-  w^^w 
meats  north  of  Albany,  through  which  the  forces  must  ^^^^' 
necessarily  pass, — a  disease,  the  violence  of  which,  at  that 
day,  had  not  been  disarmed  of  its  terrors  by  vaccination, 
or  even  mitigated  by  the  process  of  inoculation.  The 
agency  of  Clinton's  council  in  defeating  this  darling  enter- 
prise of  Shirley's,  seems  not  to  have  been  generally  or 
publicly  known,  and  the  merit, — if  such  it  may  be  called, — 
of  defeating  it,  has  been  accorded  alone  to  "  the  more  sober 
discretion  of  Connecticut,"  the  government  of  which 
"  deemed  the  winter  an  improper  season  for  so  important 
an  undertaking,"  refusing  to  furnish  its  quota  of  troops 
until  spring.'  Equally  "flectual  was  the  unfavorable 
interposition  of  the  Ne\\    fork  council  board.     4-^'^''!'^ 

An  active  correspondence  was  maintained  between 
Governor  Clinton  and  Colonel  Johnson,  during  the  winter 
and  spring,  having  relation  to  the  protection  of  the  fron- 
tiers in  general,  but  more  especially  to  the  Indian  service  j 
and  the  letters  of  the  governor  bear  evidence  that  the 
col'  I  was  already  in  the  ei^oyment  of  his  strongest  confi- 
dence. The  notorious  Jean  Coeur,  one  of  the  most  perse- 
vering and  mischievous  of  the  Jesuit  emissaries  in  the 
Indian  Confederacy,  was  yet  among  the  Senecas,  ano  ••, 
w/i  <emed  by  Johnson  an  object  of  high  importance  to 
obtuui  possession  of  his  person.  He  communicated  his 
views  upon  the  subject  to  the  governor  in  February,  by 
whom  the  project  was  warmly  approved,  and  the  colonel 
was  urged  to  use  his  utmost  endeavors  to  effect  the  object, 
either  by  stratagem  or  force,  as  circumstances  might 
require.  Early  in  March,  moreover,  Mr.  Clinton  v-rotisto 
Johnson  directing  him  to  send  out  as  many  war-parties 

I  Council  minutes  in  m;   >usoript.     ,  , 

'  B.ilknap  and  Marshall.    Smith  does  not  even  alludo  to  these  winter 
deliberations. 


n\ 


I'  li. 


96S 


Lira  07  8IR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BAK':. 


1747. 


!  r  :  ;■{ 


°v^' "  ^^  Indiana  and  GhriBtians,*  to  huraBs  tho  enemy  in  their 
Wy^-'own  settlements,"  as  ho  could  bring  into  the  sorvicu  To 
oarry  the  war  into  the  enemy's  own  country,  and  in  his 
own  way,  was  rightly  judged  '^  one  of  tho  most  eit'octuui 
means  to  prevent  their  daring  mischiof  to  us."'  The 
Colonel  was  yet  further  directed  to  send  a  party  of  Indians 
to  the  garrison  at  Saratoga,  to  act  as  scouts,— -the  com- 
manding officer  of  which  post  being  et\joinud  to  treat  the 
Indians  thus  coming  to  his  assistance  with  the  utmost 
kindness.'  In  reply  to  the  letter  thus  abridged,  Colonel 
Johnson  wrote  as  follows: .}  •';Ta5it'r*fl[?Kfj"1oi«^f?  •*'.•' 


■  (' 


m< 


Colonel  Johnson  to  Governor  Clinton. 

.'.     '    >  \       "  Mount  Johnson,  March  18, 1747. 

"  May  it  please  your  Excellency : 

"  This  instant  I  am  honored  with  your's  by  the  exjprR^s, 
and  by  whom  I  send  this  in  return.  In  answer  to  wiiat 
your  excellency  says  about  sending  a  party  as  out-scouts  to 
Saratoga,  I  can  only  say  that  I  find  already  that  it  is  not 
at  all  agreeable  to  the  Indians,  they  being  now  inclined  and 
ready  to  go  against  Canada,  whero  they  say  they  can  do 
more  execution.  Moreover  they  never  like  to  keep  in  a 
garrison  among  so  many  Christians.  Yesterday  a  party  of 
twenty-two  Christians  and  Indians  returned  from  Saratoga, 
where  I  sent  them  in  hopes  to  have  met  and  intercepted 
some  of  the  enemy's  out-scouts.    But  they  met  none.    Ko 

*  The  whites  at  that  day  were  oalled  Ohrittiant  in  distinction  flrom  the 
Indians. 

*Orahame,  in  his  nsnallj  aonrate,  and  very  excellent  history  of  the 
United  States,  falls  into  an  important  error  respecting  these  predatory 
ezcursiona  of  the  Indians,  which  he  maintains,  were  not  encouraged  by  the 
English.  Such  was  by  no  means  the  fact,  the  iBnglish  employed  all  the 
Indians  they  could  upon  this  service.  Qrahame,  howcTer,  was  probably 
led  into  the  error  by  Belknap,  who  wrote  particularly  of  New  England^ 
and  eridently  in  great  ignorance  of  the  operations  in  New  York.  See 
Grahame,  book  z,  chap.  ii. 

'Manuscript  letter;  Clinton  to  Johnson.  At  its  close,  the  goTernor 
gaid — "  Pray  let  me  know  how  poor  old  Hendrick  dies,  who,  I  am  sorry  to 
hear,  is  so  bad."  Hendriok,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  the  king  of  the 
Mohawks. 


LIfS  or  0IR  WILLIAM  JOUNBON,  BART. 


258 


ono  will  more  readily  comply  with  your  exoelloncy's  otders  ohat. 
than  I  shall ;  but  at  this  time  I  would  beg  leave  to  aBsuro  w,.^ 
your  excellency  that  the  conaoquouce  of  it  may  bo  diBas-  ^'*^' 
trouB  by  keeping  the  Indians  from  lighting — they  being 
now  inclining  that  way  more  and  more.    I  have  this  week 
Bcut  out  a  parcel  of  Canajoharics,  mixed  with  a  few  of  the 
Five  Nations*  against  the  French  and  their  settleraonts,  and 
am  every  day  busy  with  fitting  out  more.    I  am  going  to 
Bcud  up  Captain  Stephens  and  two  of  the  lieutenants,  with 
a  small  party  of  men,  and  Indian  chiefs  of  the  two  castles 
with  them,  to  bring  down  some  of  the  Five  Nations  to  go 
a-8calping.    I  am  of  opinion  we  shall  make  the  French 
sh^art  this  spring,  by  taking,  scalping,  and  burning  them 
and  their  settlements.    But  I  shall  be  ruined  for  want  of 
blankets,  liben,  paints,  guns,  cutlasses,  &c.,  for  I  am  almost 
out  of  all   these,  and  cannot  get   them  in  Albany.    I 
believe  yt)tir  excellency  has  seen  how  difficult  it  was  last  fall 
for  you  to  get  those  things.    But  how  much  more  so  for 
mo,  being  so  envied  by  them.    Wlierefore  if  I  cannot  have 
them  from  New  York  by  the  first  opportunity,  I  do  not 
know  what  I  shall  do.    So  I  hope  your  excellency  will 
endeavor  to  have  them  procured  and  sent  up, — as  also  the 
pay  for  those  belonging  to  me,  about  four  hundred  and 
thirty  pounds.     The  party  now  going  out  were  so  uneasy 
that  I  paid  the  most  of  them  to  encourage  them.    Old 
Hendrick  is  in  a  pretty  fair  way  of  recovering  again,  Which 
will  be  of  great  service  to  our  cause.    I  hope  that  your 
excellency  will  order  it  so  that  my  people  may  be  supplied 
as  the  rest,  with  every  thing  on  a  march  which  is  requisite. 
As  to  the  party  which  you  intend  to  send  to  Oswego,  I  shall 
be  ready  to  transport  them  a  little  after  the  lake  opens, 
which  I  judge  to  be  in  about  a  fortnight.    But  be  that  as 
it  will,  I  shall  always  lei  you  know  time  enough  beforehand. 
We  kept  St.  Patrick's  day  yesterday  and  this  day,  and  drank 


i-r 


iSointhe  original  draught  of  the  letter.     Yet  the  Csnajoharies  were 
only  a  clan  of  the  Mohawks— the  head  of  the  original  Five  Nations. 


i; 


,f   •:'! 


'ill-  K 


#  ; 


254 


LIFB  OF  BIE  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAET. 


CHAP,  your  health,  and  that  of  all  Mends  in  Albany,  with  so  many 
^-v-*  other  healths  that  I  can  scarce  write. 
^^*^'      "  I  am,  with  great  regard,  dear  sir,  your  most  obedient 
humble  servant,    ■.:'-.?■  i-;^*'.-'*^  r^:.i;!i.iu  -i^.  i,^i'']'><n  •/<,  y...<^ , 


i'/ii;  "((J 


"Wm.  Johnson." 


As  a  farther  encouragement  to  the  Indians,  the  legisla- 
ture of  Massachusetts  voted  an  additional  bounty  for  scalps ; 
but  Johnson  opposed  the  allowance,  and  suggested  that  a 
different  direction  be  given  to  the  appropriation.  Inasmuch, 
he  said,  as  the  bounty  for  scalps  flowed  by  the  assembly 
of  New  York,  was  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  Indians,  and 
inasmuch  also  as  he  had  already  sent  off  several  war-parties 
under  the  promise  of  that  bounty  and  no  more,  he  proposed 
applying  the  Massachusetts  funds  to  the  purchase  of 
clothing  and  subsistence  for  the  Indians  and  their  famil'es, 
now  become  ve.y  poor  from  the  long  time  they  had  been 
kept  from  their  hunting.  *  The  Indians  were  at  this  time 
wretchedly  armed,  and  scantily  supplied ;  bnt  Clinton  was 
doing  all  in  his  power,  as  he  wrote  to  Johnson  on  the 
twentieth  of  March,  to  remedy  these  deficiencies.  The 
letters  of  the  latter  show  that  the  need  was  pressing. 

It  was  now  the  fourth  year  of  the  war.  Yet,  with  the 
exception  of  the  conquest  of  Louisburg,  scarcely  anything 
had  been  accomplished  against  the  enemy,  even  in  retalia- 
tion for  the  remorseless  cruelties  visited  upon  the  border 
settlements  of  the  English  along  the  whole  northern  fron- 
tier. The  energies  of  the  colonies  had  been  exerted,  seem- 
ingly almost  to  exhaustion,  in  large  preparations  ending  only 
in  mortifying  abortions.  Such  being  the  situation  of  aflaii-s, 
Colonel  Johnson,  now  at  the  head  of  the  Indian  depart- 
ment, determined  to  exert  himself  to  the  utmost  in  making 
the  enemy  realize  the  true  character  of  the  species  of  war- 
fare he  had  adopted,  by  pouring  into  the  Canadian  settle- 
ments as  many  scalping  parties  as  he  could  command.  The 
contest  became,  therefore,  so  far  as  the  colonies  were  con- 

i  Manuscript  lett«r ;  Colonel  Jolinsou  to  Colonel  John  Stoddard,  of  North- 
ampton. 


LIPB  OF  8IB  WILLIAM  J0HN80N,  BART. 


255 


cerned,  ignoble  upon  both  sides ;  "  resembling  more  the  chap. 
practices  of  banditti  than  the  operations  of  civilized  war-  v_v-/ 
fare,  and  tending  to  no  other  results  than  obscure  individ-  l'*'^- 
ual  suffering,  and  partial    havoc  and    devastation."    In 
order  to  a  better  understanding  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
war  was  thus  waged,  and  of  the  activity  and  energy  of 
Colonel  Johnson,  even  at  this  early  period  of  his  military 
career,  the  following  letter  is  inserted  at  large : 


A'i'- 


Colond  Johnson  to  Governor  Clinton. 

"  Mount  Johnson,  May  30, 1747. 
"  May  it  please  your  Excellency : 

"  You  cannot  conceive  the  uneasiness  your  long  silence 
gives  me, — not  having  had  the  honor  of  a  line  from  you 
since  the  thirtieth  of  April.  It  is  now  the  first  time  that 
I  have  wanted  money  for  scalps  and  prisoners,  and  instruc- 
tions most  of  all.  The  numbers  about  me  every  day  going 
to  war,  takes  abundance  of  arms,  ammunition  and  clothing, 
and  I  am  quite  bare  of  most  of  those  things.  Your  excel- 
lency will  conceive  that  what  I  have  received  is  but  a  mere 
trifle  with  so  many  as  I  have  to  distribute  it  among,  although 
80  sparingly  done ;  and  were  it  not  for  my  own  store,  and 
what  goods  I  have  been  obliged  to  buy,  I  should  have  been 
obliged  to  drop  the  affair  some  time  ago,  which  would  have 
been  very  hard  after  all  my  trouble  to  bring  them  so  heartily 
into  our  interest.  I  am  quite  pestered  every  day,  with  par- 
ties returning  with  prisoners  and  scalps,  and  without  a 
penny  to  pay  them  with,  it  comes  very  hard  upon  me,  and 
k  displeasing  to  them,  I  can  assure  you,  for  they  expect 
their  pay,  and  demand  it  of  me  as  soon  as  they  return,  as 
I  mentioned  to  your  excellency  in  my  last  of  the  twenty-fifth 
instant.  Now  that  they  find  the  money  is  not  ready,  they 
tell  me  this  was  but  a  draw  to  encourage  them.  Therefore 
I  wish  your  excellency  would  only  consider  of  it  shortly. 
I  thank  God  there  is  nothing  wanting  or  backward  in  my 
affaira,  wherefore  hope  your  excellency  will  not  let  me 
sufi'er,  or  the  cause  drag  for  want  of  things  requisite  to 


!'      II 


256 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  carry  it  on.    If  your  excellency  intends  soon  to  come  up 


'  to  Albany,  I  should  be  glad  to  receive  your  orders  concern- 
1747.  ing  the  Indians  coming  down,  for  they  certainly  expect  to 
be  called,  or  invited,  down  this  summer  by  you,  or  else  by 
me.  I  am  positive  I  could  do  more  with  them  here,  by  far, 
than  if  they  went  to  Albany,  without  going  to  above  a 
quarter  the  expense ;  because  there  they  are  corrupted  by 
evil  people,  and  drink  all  the  goods  they  get,  whereas  here 
they  have  not  that  opportunity,  but  can  carry  them  home 
and  show  their  families  what  they  have  had  of  you, — which 
would  encourage  them  much.  Moreover  here  I  have  all 
my  counsellors,  the  MohawkL  and  Canajoharies,  with  whose 
assistance  I  could  bring  them  to  do  anything.  There  is 
nothing  more  requisite  at  present  than  some  blue  camlet, 
red  shalloon,  good  lace  and  white  metal  buttons,  to  make 
up  a  parcel  of  coats  for  some  chief  warriors  from  the  ^ene- 
cas,  and  for  others  who  are  daily  expected.  Wherefore  I 
wish  your  excellency  would  send  me  up  these  things  by 
the  first  opportunity,  and  also  about  thirty  good  castor  hats, 
with  scallop  lace  for  them  all ;  white  lace,  if  to  be  had,  if 
not  some  yellow  with  it.  This  I  assure  your  excellency 
goes  a  great  way  with  them.  They  have  been  gained  30 
mostly  by  the  French  always,  and  of  consequence  tiiey 
expect  it  from  us,  and  we  have  promised  it.  There  is  three 
months  pay  due  to  my  officers  and  people  the  first  of  June, 
and  as  they  are  all  upon  hard  service  with  the  Indians  daily, 
they  require  their  pay,  which  I  hope  your  esxcellency  will 
please  pay  unto  Mr.  Anthony  Duane,  merchant  of  New 
York,  who  will  give  your  excellency  a  receipt  for  it.  I  also 
should  be  glad  your  excellency  would  advise  me  how  I 
shall  get  the  money  for  the  enclosed  account,  being  now  a 
year  due  almost,  and  by  your  orders.  Just  as  I  was  finish- 
ing my  letter,  arrived  another  party  of  mine,  consisting  of 
only  six  Mohawks,  who  brought  with  them  seven  prisonera 
and  three  scalps,  which  is  very  great  for  so  small  a  party. 
I  have  my  house,  &c.,  now  all  fuU  of  the  Five  Nations,— 
some  going  out  to-morrow  against  the  French.    Others  go 


Bf!!5^SpW 


^*iirilii*^»fc*^'"*  "****^ 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART.  267 

for  news,  which,  when  furnished,  I  shall  let  your  excellency  chap. 
know.    My  people's  success  is  now  the  talk  of  the  whole «— y— / 
country.    I  expect  in  a  short  time  several  more  parties  ^^*^* 
home  from  Canada.     I  believe  Hendrick  will  be  the  first, 
who,  I  dare  say,  will  bring  a  great  many  with  him,  dead  or 
alive — so  that  we  shall  need  a  great  deal  of  money  among 
them  all.     They  have  brought  in  this  spring  as  follows : 
First,  by  Lieut.  Walter  Butler  and  his  party,  from  Crown 

Point,  the  scalps  of  men, 6 

By  Lieut.  Thomas  Butler  and  party,  prisoners, 8 

By  a  Canajoharie  party,  prisoners, 8 

Scalps, 2 

By  Gingegoe  and  partj^,  prisoners, 7 

Scalps, 8 

.iji-i.     Total  this  spring, 29 

"  If  the  money  is  sent  up  to  me  for  this  use,  ^  shall  give 
certificates  of  age,  and  render  a  clear  account  thereof,  and 
the  Indians  shall  receive  it  all  in  dollars,  and  not  be  cheat- 
ed, as  they  would  be  by  ot^  3rs,  who  would  only  give  them 
some  trifles  of  goods,  rum,  &c.,  for  their  bounty, — which 
usage  has  ruined  our  Indians  mostly. 

I  am,  with  the  greatest  respect,  your  excellencj's  much 

obliged  humble  servant,  &c.     • 

;.-...;,;...,    ..■,.,.^  ...»  .,,    -•      ,  :•■  (;  ""Wm.  Johnson." 

Petvy  details  of  a  petty  warfare ;  but  the  record  is  essen- 
tial to  a  just  understanding  of  the  border  history  of  those 
times,  for  H  was  in  this  manner  onbv  that  active  hostilities 
were  prosecu+ed  during  the  entire  open  season.  Neither 
the  inhabitants  of  the  English  nor  of  the  French  borders 
were  left  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  moment's  security  or  repose. 
Exposed  every  hour  to  these  hostile  and  often  bloody  incur- 
sions, they  were  compelled  to  fortify  their  houses  bj'^  night, 
and  go  armed  while  performing  the  labors  of  the  field  by 
day. 

One  of  the  most  considerable  of  these  hpstile  incursions 
during  the  spring  of  this  year,  was  an  attaclv  upon  a  small 

33 


I  ] 


]','"■         ¥' 


258 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  fort  in  Charleatown,  New  Hampshire,  by  a  large  body  of 


French  and  Indians,  under  the  command  of  M.  Debeline. 
1747.  This  post  had  been  imoccupied  during  the  winter ;  but 
toward  the  close  of  March,  captain  Phineas  Stevens,  an 
officer  who  had  been  in  command  of  it  the  year  before, 
returned  to  the  station,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  thirty 
Massachusetts  rangers,  and  no  more.  The  enemy  came 
stealthily  into  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  fort,  as 
it  was  called, — ^being,  however,  nothing  but  a  small  pick- 
etted  stockade, — and  lay  in  concealment,  watching,  doubt- 
less, for  an  opportunity  when  the  gate  should  be  opened, 
to  rush  in  and  carry  the  work  by  a  sudden  assault  unawares. 
Uneasiness,  however,  on  the  part  of  the  dogs  in  the  fort, 
created  a  suspicion  that  all  was  not  right  without.  The 
little  garrison  being  thus  upon  the  qui  vive,  one  of  the  men, 
desirous  of  ascertaining  the  cause  of  this  canine  inquietude, 
left  the  fort,  and  creeping  cautioufjly  to  the  distance  of  thirty 
rods,  discharged  his  gun.  Supposing  themselves  to  have 
been  discovered,  a  party  of  the  enemy  sprang  up  and  fired 
at  the  adventurous  ranger,  slightly  wounding  him.  Not 
with  sufficient  severity,  however,  to  prevent  his  regaining 
the  fort,  though  hotly  pursued  by  the  enemy,  who,  uo 
longer  affecting  concealment,  rushed  forward  with  savage 
yells  as  though  determined  at  once  to  cany  the  defence. 
But  their  courage  was  unequal  to  the  attempt ;  and  for  a 
considerable  time  nothing  more  was  done  than  to  keep  up 
a  general  fire,  brisk,  but  ineffectual.  The  rangers  were 
well  covered,  and  small  arm«  '^ould  of  course  make  no  sensi- 
ble impression  upon  the  stockade ;  but  the  fire  was  never- 
theless returned  with  spirit.  Finding  the  garrison  bent 
upon  a  resolute  defence,  and  perceiving  that  the  work  was 
constructed  of  combustible  materials,  the  enemy  next 
attempted  to  set  on  fire,  and  thus  summarily  to  compel  a 
surrender.  To  this  end  the  torch  was  applied  to  the  neigh- 
boring fences,  and  also  to  a  log-house  standing  about  forty 
rods  to  windward.  A  brisk  wind  favored  the  design,  and 
the  flames  approached,  enveloping  the  fort  in  a  dense  body 


iii^ii&ii^ 


I    ^'i" 


LITB  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


259 


of  smoke,  and  eclipsing  the  view  of  the  enemy, — ^but  of  chap. 
whose  continued  presence,  the  hideous  yells  of  the  savages, «— v-* 
and  the  incessant  rattle  of  muskotiy,  gave  ample  evidence.  ^^*^' 
There  was  indeed  immediate  danger  from  the  approach  of 
the  devouring  element,  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  through 
its  agency  the  enemy  would  have  been  successful  but  for  a 
lucky  expedient  devised  by  captain  Stevens,  and  bravely 
executed  by  his  men.     The  soil  being  favorable  for  rapid 
excavation,  several  subterranean  passages  or  galleries  were 
carried  under  the  parapet,  deep  enough  to  allow  the  men 
to  stand  in  them  at  the  foot  of  the  stockades  on  the  outside, 
yet  completely  covered  from  the  enemy.    Buckets  of  water 
from  the  well  within  were  then  passed  rapidly  to  the  men 
standing  in  the  trenches  without,  which  being  dashed 
upward  upon  the  timbers,  they  were  moistened  sufficiently 
to  prevent  ignition.    Failing  in  this  first  eftbrt  to  produce 
a  conflagration,  M.  Debeline  next  prepared  a  sort  of  man- 
talet,  loaded  with  faggots,  which  were  fired  and  forced  down 
upon  the  fort.    Showers  of  burning  arrows  were  also  shot 
into  the  defence, — a  device  which  was  alike  abortive.    The 
exertions  of  one-half  the  thirty  preserved  the  work  from 
the  fire,  while  the  other  half  lost  no  opportunity  of  firing 
upon  the  enemy,  as  often  as  he  could  be  discovered  through 
the  intervening  clouds  of  smoke.     On  the  second  day  of 
the  seige  the  French  commander  proposed  a  cessation  of 
hoatilities,  until  sunrise  of  the  following  morning, — a  propo- 
sition readily  acceded  to  by  Captain  Stevens,  but  the  object 
of  which  does  not  appear.    But  no  matter :  just  before  the 
expiration  of  the  armistice,  Debeline,  himself,  bearing  a 
flag,  with  fifty  of  his  men,  approached  within  fifty  rods  of 
the  stockade,  and  a  parley  ensued, — Stevens  receiving  a 
lieutenant  and  two  of  the  ei^emy  into  the  fort  as  hostages, 
while  the  same  number  proceeded  to  a  conference  with 
the  French  commander.     His  demand  was  a  surrender  of 
the  fort,  the  garrison  to  be  conducted  to  Montreal  as 
prisoners  of  war,  with  a  request  that  Captain  Stevens  should 
meet  him  and  reply  to  the  summons  in  person.    Ascertain- 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BAST. 

CHAP,  ing  that  his  men  would  stand  by  him  in  defending  their 
v-v—»  little  work  to  the  lust,  Stevens  proceeded  to  meet  the 
17*7.  Frenchman  as  requested,  but  was  received  roughly.  With- 
out pausing  for  an  interchange  even  of  the  ordinary  cour- 
tesies required  by  good  breeding,  Debeline  threatened  that 
if  his  terms  were  i  ojected,  he  would  take  the  fort  by  storm ; 
— adding,  that  in  the  event  of  the  death  of  any  of  bid  men 
in  the  assault,  he  would  put  every  man  of  the  garrison  to 
the  sword.  Under  a  menace  like  that,  Stevens  at  once 
declined  further  negotiations, — declaring  his  purpose  to 
listen  to  no  overtures  of  surrender  whatever,  until  his 
means  of  defence  should  be  exhausted.  "  Do  as  you  please," 
replied  Debeline ; — "I  am  resolved  to  hav6  the  fort  or  die. 
Go  and  see  if  your  men  dare  fight  any  longer,  and  give  me 
a  speedy  answer."  Returning  to  the  stockiide,  the  hostages 
were  interchanged,  and  at  about  twelve  o'clock  meridian, 
hostilities  were  recommenced,  the  liring  being  continued  all 
that  day,  and  the  night  foUowingi  Just  at  the  peep  of  dawn 
on  the  third  day,  Stevens  was  addressed  from  the  ranks  of 
the  enemy  with  the  friendly  salutation  "  Good  morning," 
to  which  was  added  a  proposition  for  a  second  armistice  of 
two  hours.  It  was  granted ;  and  shortly  before  its  expira- 
tion, two  Indians  approached  with  a  flag,  proclaiming  that 
if  the  English  would  sell  them  some  provisions,  they  would 
withdraw  without  offering  further  molestation.  The  nego- 
tiation was  declined  upon  the  basis  proposed ; — Stevens, 
however,  offering  to  supply  them  with  provisions  at  the 
rate  of  five  bushels  of  com  for  every  prisoner  the  enemy 
would  stipulate  to  release  at  Montreal,  hostages  to  be  left 
to  secure  a  faithful  performance  of  the  agreement.  This 
proposition  was  in  turn  rejected;  but  the  fire  of  the  enemy 
gradually  fell  away,  and  before  nightfall  the  seige  was 
raised  and  the  foe  departed,  deeply  chagrined,  beyond  all 
doubt,  at  the  failure  of  his  enterprise,  especially  of  the 
boastful  confiJeuce  with  which  it  had  been  commenced. 
The  attack  continued  three  days,  during  which  thousands 
of  balls  were  discharged  into  the  fort,  yet  not  a  man  of  the 


LtFB  OF  SIR  WILtlAM  J0HN80N,   BART< 


261 


garrison  was  killed,  and  but  two  of  them  wounded,  and  chap. 
those  slightly.     Commodore   Sir  Charles  Knowles,  then>-.v— < 
with  his  squadron  lying  at  Boston,  was  so  highly  gratified  ^^^^• 
with  the  conduct  of  Captain  Stevens,  that  ho  sent  him  an 
elegant  sword,  bearing  a  suitable  insci'iption.     The  bravery 
of  Stevens,  and  the  mental  resources  which  he  discovered, 
were  subjects  of  high  praise  in  other  quarters  ;  yet  ho  has 
been  criticised  for  his  imprudence  ii    admitting  the  hosta- 
ges retained  by  him  during  the  negotiations,  into  the  fort, — • 
thus  necessarily  disclosing  his  weakness, — ^while  it  has  also 
been  suggested  that  he  ought  not  to  have  risked  his  own 
person  by  placing  himself  within  the  power  of  a  perfidious 
enemy,  when  he  might  rather  have  sent  a  subaltern  to 
meet  the  French  commander. 

Debeline  did  not  retire  from  the  country  at  once,  but  on 
raising  the  siege  of  the  stockade  he  divided  his  motley 
forces  into  several  small  parties,  by  which  the  border  set- 
tlements of  New  Hampshire  were  infested  for  weeks  there- 
after. Skirmishes  were  frequent,  houses  were  burnt,  and 
individuals  were  killed  from  day  to  day.  All  the  dwell- 
ings in  the  two  settlements  of  "Winchester  and  Upper 
Ashuelot  were  destroyed  by  fire.  Yet  nearer  to  Albany 
the  enemy  was  hovering  about  in  considerable  numbers. 

In  May,  the  governnferit  of  Massachusetts  commenced 
rebuilding  the  fort  of  that  name  which  had  been  destroyed 
the  year  before  by  M.  Vaudreuil.  A  party  of  one 
hundred  men  having  been  detached  to  Albany  for  provi- 
sions, on  its  return  discovered  the  enemy  m  ambuscade 
in  the  very  environs  of  the  works.  The  discovery  was 
timely.  An  engagement  ensued,  and  the  enemy,  attacked 
upon  both  sides, — ^both  by  the  returning  party  and  the 
garrison, — ^was  soon  obliged  to  flee  to  the  woods,  whence 
h«  did  not  again  emerge.  The  loss  to  the  English  was 
trifling,  two  men  only  being  wounded,  and  one  killed, — 
the  latter  an  Indian  ally  of  the  Stockbridge  tribe. 

While  the  border-men  were  engaged  in  these  predatory 
afiairs, — prolific  of  individual  suffering,  but,  though  illus- 


1 

1 

I 

H 

^M 

r^^H 

9 

1 

iiH 

I,-" 


- 

262 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


m^\ 


1    " 
i      ^ 

Jl^,ja^ 

Ik. 

^ji»ii.' 
'p?"- 


CHAP,  trated  by  many  acts  of  personal  conduct  worthy  of  all 
s-v^  praise,  productive    of  no  'mportant    results, — Governor 
1747.  Clinton  was  again  involved  in  hostilities  with  his  legisla- 
ture.   In  the  reasonable  expectation  of  receiving  instruc- 
tions from  ministers  touching  the  prosecution  of  the  war, 
the  governor  had  delayed  summoning  the  general  assembly 
until  the  twenty-fifth  of   March.    But  no   instructions 
came ;  and  the  season  was  already  so  far  advanced  as  to 
require  very  active  dispositions  of  the  forces  already  in 
service  for  guarding  the  exposed  points  of  the  frontiers, 
even  were  offensive  operations  not  in  contemplation.    The 
assembly  was  told  in  the  speech  that  Colonel  Roberts  had 
been  sent  to  Boston  to  confer  with  Governor  Shirley,  and 
that  the  Mohawks  had  been  detained  from  their  hunting 
expeditions  that  they  might  be  in  readiness  to  act  in  the  war 
as  circumstances  might  require.    For  the  purpose  of  yet 
farther  cultivating  the  friendship  of  the  Six  Nations,  the 
governor  proposed  another  voyage  to  counsel  with  them  at 
Albany,  for  which  obj  cct  he  required  an  appropriation.  Tho 
long  proposed  expedition  against  Crown  Point  was  again 
presented  for  legislative  consideration ;  and,  in  the  absence 
both  of  the  advices  and  supplies  expected  from  England, 
appropriations  were  required  for  the  construction  of  the 
forts  so  long  talked  of  at  the  carrying-places  between  tiie 
Hudson  river  and  Lake^  Champlain.     The  forces  likewise 
for  the  expedition,  w^re  to  be  levied  and  paid  by  the  colo- 
nies embarking  therein,  upon  all  which  points  a  full  and 
cordial  understanding  existed  between  Governors  Clinton 
and  Shirley.  Provision  having  only  been  made  for  victualing 
the  levies  then  in  the  service  until  the  first  of  May,  farther 
supplies  were  required  for  that  object.    A  week  afterward 
a  special  message  was  sent  down  asking  an  appropriation 
for  maintaining   scouts,   and  a  corps   of  rangers  upon 
the  frontiers.     These  requests  were  judged  the  more  rea^ 
sonable,  inasmuch  as  all  the  expenses  of  the  Indian  service, 
and  for  the  rangers,  had  been  defrayed  during  the  preced- 
ing year  by  the  crown.    No  other  business  was  presented 


^rWMMiMWIaidM 


LirK  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


268 


to  the  consideration  of  the  assembly,  whoso  session,  the  chap. 
governor  suggested,  must  be  p'-  ,*  t.  *-v— ' 

Justice  Horsmanden  reported  the  address  of  the  council 
in  answer  to  the  s^  „^h.  It  contained  the  following  pas- 
sage embodying  a  reflection  upon  the  integrity  of  the 
Indians,  which,  judging  from  the  correspondence  of  Colo- 
nel Johnson,  seems  not  at  that  time  at  least  to  have  been 
deserved. 

"It  cannot  but  occasion  great  uneasiness  in  us  to  observe, 
that  our  Indians  employed  in  the  barbarous  method  of 
scalping,  (only  justifiable  by  the  precedent  practices  of  our 
enemies,)  industriously  avoid  attacking,  or  meeting  the 
French  Indians  ;  or  when  they  meet,  treat  each  other  as 
friends ;  whereby  they  are  encouraged  in  their  cruel  practice 
of  butchering  those  who  are  not  in  arms,  and  even  those 
who  are  unable  to  bear  arms — ^women  and  children." 

The  assembly,  determined  to  continue  its  quarrel  w  ith 
the  governor,  neglected  the  customary  civility  of  voting  an 
address.  But  the  situation  of  the  country  forbade  entire 
inaction,  and  a  petition  from  the  inhabitants  of  Kinderhook, 
accompanying  the  special  message,  contained  a  pathetic 
appeal  to  the  assembly  for  a  garrison  of  fifty  men  for  their 
defence,  and  a  like  number  of  rangers  to  traverse  the  wooc's 
to  the  northward  and  eastward.  >*^oved  by  this  appeal, 
resolutions  were  passed  directing  Uf  employment  of  one 
hundred  rangers,  one-half  of  whoia  were  to  be  stationed 
upon  the  east,  and  the  other  upon  the  west  side  of  the 
river  in  the  county  of  Albany.  Supplies  were  also  voted 
for  victuallii\g  the  levies  for  the  term  of  three  months 
beyond  the  twenty-fourth  of  May.  But  the  house  at  the 
same  time  reaffirmed  its  declarai'on  of  the  preceding 
l!Tovember,  that  it  would  make  no  provision  for  the  trans- 
portation of  any  supplies  beyond  Albany.  In  regard  to 
his  excellency's  proposed  conference  with  the  Indians,  it 
farther  manifested  its  temper  by  voting  the  beggarly  allow- 
ance of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  Nor  was  this  all. 
A  fter  passing  the  bill  in  form,  pursuant  to  the  resolutions, 


!ii 


i 

' 

^^1 

1*'  W  '/' 


264 


LIFE  07  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


iiiil  Mi 


CHAP-  and  ^'^^'^r-^  it  had  received  the  assent  of  the  representative 
»— V— 'of  tho  crown,  the  assembly  adopted  yet  another  resolution 
^*^'  sotting  forth  that  the  levies  then  in  sor  >.  ,  bo  long  main- 
tained at  very  great  expense,  had  tlius  tur  been  unemployod, 
and  praying  that  the  hundred  men  authorized  in  corapli- 
ance  with  the  Kinderhook  memorial,  should  be  detached 
from  those  levies — from  the  little  army  destined  against 
Canada !  The  pay  proposed  in  the  bill  was  one  shilling  per 
diem,  over  and  above  the  wages  allowed  and  paid  by  the 
crown.  Eight  days  afterward,  the  governor  not  yet  having 
approved  the  bill,  the  assembly,  availing  itself  of  a  memo- 
rial from  Albany  giving  a  melancholy  representation  of 
the  suffering  and  defenceless  situation  of  that  country,  as 
if  purposely  to  chafe  his  excellency  by  farther  insult,  sent 
up  an  address  of  affected  tenderness  and  solicitude  for  the 
condition  of  the  frontier  settlers,  and  praying  him  no  longer 
to  withhold  his  assent  from  the  measure  they  had  been  so 
prorai)t  to  enact.       "  '•       "'  •-■'•'•"'■*-<•'■ 

In  his  reply  to  this  address,  the  governor  went  into  a  full 
nn-i  elaborate  vindication  of  his  conduct  during  the  last 
eventful  year  of  his  administration, — rehearsing  his  laboi-s 
aij  T  exertions  in  the  public  service,  for  which  he  had  been 
m  imworthily  requited.  In  regard  to  the  bill  presented  for 
his  approbation.,  his  excellency  said  he  looked  upon  the 
allowance  of  the  extra  shilling  per  diem,  as  altogether 
inadequate,  considering  the  character  and  severity  of  the 
service,  the  extra  expenses  to  which  the  rangers  were  sub- 
ject by  the  wear  and  tear  of  their  clothes  when  plunging 
into  morasses,  climbing  niountains,  or  threading  the  deep- 
tangled  woods.  He  denied  that  the  levies  had  been  inac- 
tive, and  gave  an  account  of  the  dispositions  that  had  been 
made  of  them.  The  invasion  of  Canada  having  been 
necessarily  deferred,  the  next  object  of  the  executive  had 
been  to  make  an  advanced  movement  in  that  direction,  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  a  winter  encampment  at  the  carry- 
ing-place, and  for  the  construction  of  fortifications  at  the 
heads  of  the  two  lakes,  Champlain  and  St.  Sacrament,— 


Lira   op  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BAUT. 


260 


.a  bf    ad  had  tho 

aB  of  tho  other 

ar.    They  hud 

vjjonse,  but  in  the 


measurea  of  tho  first  import  mce,  aud  of  the  greatest  e£B-CHAr. 
ciency  in  affording  protection  to  the  frontiers  against  the  w^ 
predatory  bands  so  frequently  influing  from  Crown  Point  *'*"• 
But  his  purposes  had  been  friiatrated  by  the  conduct  of  tho 
assembly  respecting  the  provisions  at  Alhari;  ,  and  also  l)y 
reason  of  a  waste  of  time,  the  conBe^u  nio  of  which  was, 
that  the  levies,  instead  of     .Iv.uu  mg  u>  the  de«i>;natcd 
point,  had  been  compelled  to  '  ilt         wit^u-    at  baiatoga, 
—an  ill-chosen  and  unsafe  locality  t«  ilitury  position. 

In  all  these  proceedings  his  exc  f  ^' 
concurrence  of  Governor  ShirK^  a. 
colonies  uniting  in  tho  prosecution  < 
all  evinced  a  willingness  to  share  tht 
expectation,  of  course,  that  as  New  York  was  the  most 
immediately  interested  in  the  result  of  the  contest,  she 
would  set  a  cheerful  example  in  meeting  the  exigency. 
After  reciting  various  measures  that  had  been  adopted  for 
the  common  security,  his  excellency  intimated  that  points 
other  than  those  enumerated,  would  have  been  occupied 
and  fortified,  but  for  the  obstinate  refusal  of  the  assembly 
to  appropriate  even  the  sums  necessary  for  thei'^  own  safety. 
He  upbraided  them  for  the  disrespect  with  which  they  had 
treated  his  speech  at  the  opening  of  the  session,  although 
in  the  preparation  of  that  speech  he  had  carefully  avoided 
everything  which  he  supposed  could  have  a  tendency  to 
revive  the  unpleasant  difficulties  of  the  former  session. 
Referring  to  the  many  difficulties  he  had  been  obliged  to 
encounter,  especially  at  Albany,  he  did  not  conceal  his 
belief  that  they  had  been  fomented  by  the  opulent  traders 
of  that  citj,  who  had  grown  rich  by  their  trade  with  Cana- 
da, and  who  were  desirous  of  preserving  the  neutrality  of 
the  Six  Nations.  He  likewise  intimated  a  suspicion  that 
there  were  Roman  Catholic  emissaries  in  the  colony, — art- 
ful and  cunning  men, — engaged  in  treasonable  practices, — • 
"  dangerous  instruments  for  the  destruction  of  the  religion 
and  liberty  of  the  land."  In  conclusion  he  said,  that  not- 
withstanding the  opposition  t-hey  had  made  to  his  mear 


I'll 


34 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


^1^8     |2.5 

2.0 


1i       a^n 


1.8 


1.25    1  1.4       !.6 

II — 

< 6"     

► 

'/ 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


^^ 


'% 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  H580 

(716)  872-4503 


I*««*».7M-*.    *-"^~*V,i 


>;. 


266 


LIFE  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAAT. 


Hi 


CHAP,  snres,  there  was  nothing  in  his  power  which  he  would  not 
wyw  cheerfully  do  "  for  the  security  of  the  ^ontiers,  an4  to  pre- 
1747.  serve  the  inhahitants  from  the  incursions  of  a  cruel  and 
barbarous  enemy." 

On  the  subject  of  the  suspected  disloyally  of  some  of 
the  people  of  Albany,  to  which  reference  had  been  made 
in  the  message,— charging  them  in  effect  with  leaguing  with 
the  enemy  to  obstruct  the  operations  against  Canada,  the 
governor  wrote  to  Colonel  Johnson  as  followit,»t,^-i,i  ^^„,^ 

Governor  Clmtcn  to  Colonel  Johnsffd.  '  '■'     *  '' 
"New  YoEK,  April  26ih,  1747. 

"Sir:  'va^^j  .ov(J„f^v;k .  ^:,i»^{*htMU., 

"You  will  find  by  a  paragraph  of  a  message  I  sent  to 
the  assembly  yesterday,  that  t  have  taken  notice  of  the 
endeavors  which  I  suspect  some  people  of  Albany  (have 
used  for  to  obtun  ft  kind  of  neutrality  between  theiu  and 
Canada.  --.   .:,»:,,•,.,-  '"'^r^'/"'""""" 

"  You  told  me  of*  some  private  messages  you  heard  had 
been  sent  by  Irdians  for  the  purpose.  Seud  me  a  particu- 
lar account  of  what  you  know  aud  have  heard  on  that  sub- 
ject, and  of  what  you  can  now,  or  at  ftny  time  after  this, 
learn  by  farther  inquiry.  I  expect  you  will  me  all  the 
diligence  possible  to  discover  every  pp,rt  of  this  scheme, 
and  in  what  manner  it  has  been  carried  on.  I  long  much 
to  hear  from  you,4br  we  have  most  villainous  reportu 
spread.  I  hope  the  Indians  all  remain  steadfiut  and  in 
good  health. 

"In  the  bill  I  am  going  to  pass,  the  council  did  not  think 
it  proper  to  put  rewards  for  scalping  or  taking  poor  women 
or  children  prisoners  in  it ;  but  the  assembly  has  assured 
me  ih  '^  money  shall  be  paid  when  it  so  happens,  if  the 


Indians  insist  upon  it. 


■.^1 


t*fj  til  .*!('.'' 


■:-T#'' 


"lam,  Sir, 


\M 


^^<>%,;>.  v^iw  *u  .v,^,^„"  Your  very  humble  serv't, 

^        "G.Clinton." 
«  To  Colonel  Johnson."     h  ..uijt?^*  c|^Ji  \u. 


j^f^.f^: it$-  Sr 


i.p 


Ixtfa  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


267 


Those  portions  of  the  message  fillcdging  that  the  house  ohap. 
had  treated  his  excellency  with  disrespect,  and  charging  it  ^.^^ 
with  neglecting  to  provide  for  the  safety  of  the  colony,  as  1747. 
also  the  paragraph  containing  thd  imputation  upon  the 
Albany  traders,  were  received  with  high  displeasure, — real 
or  affected, — and  a  committee  was  appointed  by  resolution 
with  instructions  to  prepare  an  answer.  ^  The  appointment 
of  this  committee  was  made  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  April ; 
and  for  several  days  immediately  subsequent,  the  assembly 
met  but  only  to  adjourn,  without  proceeding  to  business. 
At  length,  in  order  to  give  the  members  time  to  abate  their 
choler,  the  house  was  a^ourned  from  the  second  of  May 
to  the  twelfth,  and  again  to  the  nineteenth  of  May. 
'» While  these  disputes  between  the  executive  and  his 
assembly  were  in  progress  in  the  city  of  New  York,  affidrs 
at  the  north  were  in  a  sad  condition.  The  levies  who  had 
been  kept  in  service  during  the  winter,  clamorous  for  their 
pay,  were  almost  in  a  state  of  mutiny.  The  officers  wrote 
from  Saratoga  that  they  were  fearful  the  garrison  would 
desert  in  a  body.  Colonel  Roberts  wrote  to  colonel  John- 
son, announcing  the  desertion  of  thirty-four  men  from  a 
sing;e  company ;  the  garrison  at  Saratoga  had  become  so 
much  weakened,  as  to  create  apprehensions  that  the  post 
would  be  lost ;  while  the  officers  wrote  to  the  governor 
from  Albany,  that  they  could  not  persuade  the  designated 
quotas  of  the  northern  militia  companies  to  march  for  the 
defence  of  that  jeoparded  position.  During  the  months  of 
April  and  May,  the  communications  spread  before  the 
executive  council  upon  the  subject,  were  of  the  most  urgent 

*  The  gentlemen  forming  this  committee  were,  David  Clarkson,  Cornelius 
Van  Home,  Paul  Richard,  Henry  Cruger,  Frederick  Philli{)Be,  John  Thomas, 
Lewis  Morris,  David  Fierson,  and  William  NichoU  Smith,  in  a  note,  suggests 
that  the  reflection  upon  the  Albany  traders,  was  intended  by  the  governor 
as  a  out  at  DeLanoey,  whose  father,  many  years  before,  during  the  admin- 
istration of  Oovernor  Burnett,  had  been  largely  benefitted  by  the  Indian 
trade  with  Canada  thi'ough  Lake  Champlain.  But  Clinton's  private  letter 
to  Johnson,  noW  first  brought  to  light,  shows  that  he  was  acting  in  perfect 
good  faith — having  reason  to  believe  the  imputation  just. 


268 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BAAT. 


°vnf *  cliaracter.  Funds  for  the  payment  of  the  troops  in  part, 
*-v— '  were  remitted  ;  but  partial  payments  by  no  means  sufficed ; 
^^^'  the  discontents  became  more  impatient ;  and  on  the  thirty- 
first  of  May,  a  dispatch  ^s  received  from  Colonel  Roberts, 
announcing  that  the  levies  upon  all  the  frontier  stations 
had  united  in  a  solemn  resolution  that  unless  their  whok 
pay  should  be  immediately  forthcoming,  they  would  desert 
en  masse,  and  pay  themselves  by  the  plunder  of  the  city  and 
county  of  Albany.  Additional  remittances  were  made  with 
all  possible  alacrity ;  but  Mr.  Clinton  nevertheless  cautioned 
the  officers  against  paying  at  once  all  that  was  due,  lest  from 
the  prevailing  spirit  of  insubordination  they  might  stiil 
desert  the  moment  their  pockets  should  be  filled,  ^ot  long 
before  this,  two  Mohflwk  Indians  had  been  discovered  in 
an  aittempt  to  kill  and  scalp  some  of  Captain  Tiebout's 
company,  stationed  at  Schenectady.  They  were  lyiAg  in 
wait  for  that  object,  and  had  wounded  one  man.  Roberts 
wrote  to  Johnson  upon  the  matter,  and  as  the  offenders 
had  been  secured,  the  latter  advised  that  they  should  be 
surrendered  to  their  own  people  fi>r  punishment.  * 

The  committee  charged  with  the  preparation  of  an 
address  to  the  governor,  made  their  report  on  the  nineteenth 
of  Mi^.  It  wf"  ••^ry  long,  extending  to  nearly  eight  large 
fSotio  printed  ;  i ;  and  as  it  was  read  to  the  house, 
approved,  engrossed,  and  presented  to  hh  excellency  all 
on  tlie  same  afternoon,  it  must  have  been  evident  that  its 
terms,  even  to  a  l«tter,  had  been  previously  settled  by  what 
is  iu  modem  times  designated  a  caucus,  and  the  labor  of 
engrossing  performed  in  anticipation.  The  spirit  of  the 
address  was  very  bitter,  though  sweetened  by  terms  of  ill- 
dissembled  courtesy.  They  protested  with  the  utmost 
gravity  that  it  had  been  &r  from  the  intention  of  the  house 
to  give  his  excellency  t^e  least  occasion  of  ofience  by  their 
former  resolutions.  The  suggestion  for  the  employment  of 
one  hundred  men  to  be  taken  from  the  levies  as  rangers, 
had  been  made,  they  averred,  in  compliance  with  applicu- 

1  Journals  of  the  oounoil  board.     '   '    •'-»-.  ^     ;>  r.;.'- 


LIFB  0#  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BABT. 


269 


.1747 


tions  to  that  effect  from  the  people  of  Albany ;  and  a  pre-  °^' 
cedent  for  the  adoption  of  that  coarse  had  been  found  in' 
the  course  of  hie  excellency's  own  proceedings  at  Albany ' 
the  year  before.  By  the  remark  that  "  the  levies  had  hith- 
erto been  unemployed,"  they  meant  no  more  than  to  say 
what  was  known  to  all,  that  they  had  not  been  employed 
in  the  Canada  expedition.  They  were  "  much  concerned 
that  this  misconstruction  of  their  innocent  intentions," 
should  have  induced  his  excellency  to  give  so  Ml  a  history 
as  he  had  done,  of  his  conduct  in  defence  of  the  country 
during  the  preceding  year,  since  in  doing  so  he  "had  taken 
the  troubleof  relating  many  particulars  well  known  before." 
They  acknowledged  the  importance  of  preserving  the 
friendship  of  the  Six  Hatiuns,  and  rehearsed  Iheir  own 
proceedings  to  that  end  during  the  entire  period  of  his 
administration.  It  was  admitted  that  the  crown  had 
defrayed  the  charts  of  the  great  council  at  Albany  of  the 
preceding  year ;  but  for  the  expenses  of  the  council  of  the 
year  before  that,  they  had  voted  one  thousand  pounds, 
besides  appropriations  for  his  excellency's  own  personal 
expenses ;  and  they  intimated  an  opinion  that  while  they 
had  not  been  informed  what  sums  had  been  actually  dis- 
bursed for  presents  to  the  Indians,  there  were  not  wanting 
individuals  who  had  proj&ted  largely  in  that  branch  of 
the  service.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  the  expenditures 
upon  the  Indians,  and  the  pains  that  had  been  taken  to 
secure  their  friendship,  they  had  not  joined  in  the  war  to 
any  considerable  extent.  In  regard  to  the  governor  him- 
self, they  had  received  him  with  distinguished  considera- 
tion on  his  arrival ;  and  in  consequence  of  the  efforts  he 
was  understood  to  have  made  in  behalf  of  the  colony  before 
his  embarkation  for  his  government,  they  had  voted  him  a 
gratuity  of  a  thousand  pounds,  and  had  moreover,  ill  as 
the  colony  could  bear  the  expense,  caused  a  new  and  ele- 
gant house  to  be  built  for  his  residence,  in  conformity  to 
his  own  plans,  besides  raising  as  much  for  his  support  as 
had  been  allowed  to  any  of  his  predecessors.    In  reviewing 


h''] 


f'  til'.  !% 


n^ 


270 


LIEB  OV  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


J- 


'!• 


°^'  the  events  of  the  war  and  their  own  acts  for  sustaining  the 
^-v-'  puhlic  service,  they  recurred  to  the  destruction  of  Saratoga, 
'  two  years  before,  as  an  event  that  might  not  have  happened 
but  for  the  withdrawing  of  the  independent  companies 
from  that  post*  Afterward,  at  the  governor's  request,  they 
had  appropriated  money  for  rebuilding  that  tort,  which  wag 
done,  and  the  works  garrisoned  by  the  militia,  at  the  expense 
of  the  colony*  In  addition  to  this  they  had  also  at  the 
governor's  request,  made  appropriations  for  building  other 
forts  to  guard  the  frontier  passes.  Yet  again,  the  plan  of 
defence  having  been  changed,  they  had  voted  money  for 
building  a  chain  of  block-houses  from  the  [New  England 
border  to  the  castles  of  the  Mohawks ;  but  this  plan  bemg 
in  turn  abandoned,  the  money  was  diverted  to  the  payment 
and  subsistence  of  detachments  of  the  militia  posted  ]apon 
the  frontiers  by  the  governor  during  the  recess  of  the 
assembly.  They  admitted  the  importance  of  guarding  the 
passes  of  the  great  carrying-place  by  suitable  fortifications, 
but  shrunk  from  the  expense,  both  for  the  building,  and  for 
the  maintenance  of  garrisons.  The  other  exposed  colonies 
had  an  equal  interest  with  !N^ew  York  in  building  and  sus- 
taining those  defences,  and  they  thought  the  expense  should 
be  shared  among  them, — ^intimating  a  doubt,  however,  not- 
withstanding the  assurances  of  his  excellency  upon  that 
point,  whether  the  colonies  referred  to  would  in  fact  be 
willing  to  bear  a  portion  of  the  burden.  Touching  his 
excellency's  complaint  that  his  projected  northern  encamp- 
ment had  been  frustrated,  and  the  division  of  levies  des- 
tined upon  that  service  compelled  by  the  climate  to  fall  back 
upon  Saratoga  for  winter  quarters,  knowing  the  severity 
of  that  climate  as  they  did,  they  had  anticipated  as  much; 
and  as  to  the  unsuitableness  of  the  locality,  as  now  averred 
by  his  excellency,  it  had  at  least  been  rebuilt  there  by  his 
own  directions.  His  excellency's  reference  to  the  difficulties 
at  Albany,  the  previous  autumn,  in  regard  to  the  delivery 
and  transportation  of  provisions,  whereby  as  was  alleged, 
his  plans  had  been  defeated,  was  tartly  answered.    "If," 


r 


LIVB  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


m 


they  said,  "your  excellency  means  thereby  the  refusal  of  ohaj. 
« the  commissioners  to  deliver  the  provisions  contrary  to  w^w 
"the  law  you  were  pleased  to  pass  but  a  little  before,  the  ^'^*'^* 
«  house  had  occasion  to  give  your  excellency  their  thoughts 
"  upon  it  in  their  resolves  of  the  seventeenth  of  November 
"last,  which  were  by  order  of  the  house  laid  before  your 
"  excellency,  to  which  we  beg  leave  to  refer."  Rehearsing, 
next,  in  reply  to  the  charge  of  the  governor  that  they  had 
not  shown  a  disposition  even  "  to  take  care  of  themselves," 
they  pointed  to  the  previdus  measures  they  had  adopted  for 
the  public  defence,  and  the  appropriations,  among  which 
was  one  of  £9rty  thousand  pounds  for  the  northern  expe- 
dition, as  irrefragable  proofs  of  the  reality  and  sincerity  of 
their  intentions, — suggesting  that  if  his  excellency,  on  cool 
reflection  did  not  think  them  so,  "  they  must  be  so  unhappy 
"as  to  despair  of  giving  him  satisfaction  on  that  head." 
They  said  the  appropriations  they  had  made  of  nine  pounds 
per  man  for  the  enlistment  of  sixteen  companies  of  one 
hundred  men  eacb,  and  the  provisioning  of  those  compa- 
nies, were  nearly  exhausted;  and  they  intimated  a  belief 
that  in  the  erection  of  fortifications,  great  waste  had  been 
indulged,  and  much  needless  expense  incurred  for  the  want 
of  competent  engineers.  Whenever  they  should  have  rea- 
son to  believe  that  their  money  woiud  not  be  advanced  in 
vain  for  this  department  of  the  public  service,  and  when- 
ever they  should  have  an  earnest  that  the  other  colonies 
were  prepared  to  cooperate  in  the  work  of  mutual  protec- 
tion, they  would  be  found  ready  to  vote  for  such  additional 
fortifications  as  might  be  judged  necessary.  In  regard  to 
the  statement  in  the  governor's  opening  speech,  that  an 
agreement  had  been  made  with  the  commissioners  of  Mas- 
sachusetts for  building  the  two  forts  so  often  recommended, 
at  the  passes  of  the  carrying-place,  and  also  in  respect  to 
the  forces  to  be  raised  by  the  several  colonies  expected  to 
cooperate  iothe  Canadian  invasion,  and  the  rates  of  expense 
for  each,  the  assembly  was  surprised,  inasmuch  as  the 
governor  had  but  three  members  of  his  council  with  him, 


272 


Lira  OV  BIB  WILLUM  JOBNSON,  BART. 


'■Wf'  iiS  .-i-'tJ 


oHMf.  while  Massaclinsetts  alone  of  the  other  colonies  wag  repre- 
wyw  sented  at  the  conference,  that  hia  excellency  should  have 
17^7.  entered  upon  any  such  agreement  Moreover  as  they  were 
in  the  daily  expectation  of  advices  from  England,  hoping 
withal  for  the  speedy  arrival  of  experienced  officers,  they 
trusted  hia  excellency  wonld  excuse  the  house  for  its  opinion, 
"  that  they  could  not  in  conscience  provide  for  schemes  the 
«  execution  of  which  would  be  ve'7  hazardous,  and  put 
"the  colony  to  great  expense."  They  told  the  governor 
plainly,  that  "  ever  since  he  had  thought  fit  to.  place  his 
confidence  in  a  person  obnoxious  to,  and  censured  by  the 
house,  the  public  affairs  had  been  much  perplexed,  and  had 
not  been  attended  with  the  steadiness  and  good  conduct 
which  their  importance  required.  They  attributed  several 
of  his  excellency's  late  speeches  to  that  person,  declaring 
that  until  the  day  when  he  was  taken  into  favor  the  utiaost 
harmony  had  existed  between  all  the  branches  of  the  gov- 
ernment. These  thrusts  were  aimed  at  Doctor  Oolden,  the 
lance  having  been  barbed  by  DeLancey,  the  master-spirit 
in  fomenting  these  dissensions.  Respecting  the  charges 
against  the  people  of  Albany,  entire  disbelief  in  the  justice 
of  the  imputation  was  expressed, — ^the  mind  of  his  excel- 
lency having  probably  been  poisoned  upon  that  subject  by 
the  individual  to  whom  reference  had  already  been  made 
as  an  abuser  of  his  confidence.  If  the  people  of  Albany 
were  indeed  engaged  in  treasonable  practices,  they  mar- 
velled that  none  of  them  had  been  arrested  and  brought 
to  trial.  In  answer  to  his  excellency's  apprehension  that 
Popish  emissaries  had  been  engaged  in  sowing  dissensions 
and  kindling  every  spark  of  discontent,  the  house  seized 
upon  the  suggestion  and  applied  it  to  a  person  then  in  great 
favor  with  Mr.  Clinton  in  the  Indian  service — Mr.  John 
Henry  Lydius,  son  of  a  former  Dutch  minister  in  Albany, 
and  of  course  bred  a  Protestant ;  who  had  resided  several 
years  in  Canada;  married  a  wife  there  of  the  Romish 
church,  after  having  abjured  his  own  religion ;  and  whom 
they  declared  to  be  a  person  of  desperate  fortunes.    They 


Lira  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


m 


admitted  the  great  skill  of  this  man  ''  in  all  the  weaknesses  OHAPk 
of  haman  nature,  but  wondered  how  he  could  have  secured  Wyw 
his  excellency's  &vor.  To  him,  and  h  is  intrigues  in  Albany,  ^^^^'f 
and  among  the  Indians,  the  assembly  attributed  many  of 
the  difficulties  that  had  arisen.  He  had  been  the  means  of 
undermining  the  influence  of  the  Indian  commissioners, 
and  distracting  the  affairs  of  that  department.  They  never- 
theless admitted  that  there  might  possibly  be  some  Popish  ^ 
emissaries  in  the  province ;  but  at  the  same  time  there  was 
equal  reason  to  believe  that  there  were  other  men  screen- 
ing themselves  behind  the  curtain,  and  answering  all  the 
ends  of  such  emissaries, — men  of  wrong  heads  and  worse 
hearts,  who  were  doing  infinite  evil  by  infusing  groundless 
jealousies  into  his  excellency's  mind.  They  next  told  the 
governor  that  although  they  were  not  disposed  to  listen  to 
every  idle  tale,  yet  they  had  hoped  that  before  that  period 
the  report  might  have  reached  his  ears  that  there  had  been 
a  large  embezzlement  of  the  funds  appropriated  for  Indian 
presents  in  1745, — one  thousand  pounds  having  been  voted, 
while  not  more  than  three  hundred  pounds  worth  of  goods 
had  reached  the  hands  of  thosd  for  whom  they  were  de- 
signed. So  at  least  it  was  said  by  persons  who  saw  the 
goods  delivered.  They  also  informed  the  governor, — for 
the  benovolent  purpose  of  enabling  him  to  bring  thQ 
authors  of  the  scandal  to  justice, — ^that  a  report  was  curr 
rent  to  the  effect  that  French  >  od  Spanish  prisoners  had 
been  sold  under  the  authority  oi  his  name,  for  a  pistole 
a  head,  to  owners  and  captains  of  flags  of  truce.  The  con- 
cluding paragraph  contained  another  pungent  reference  to 
Doctor  Golden,  whose  designing  artifices  and  private  views, 
"  although  they  had  hitherto  been  providentially  blasted, 
"  it  was  still  feared  might  at  length  spring  up  again,  and 
"bear  a  greater  increase,  which  God  forbid."  .,j  ^vj^^.h,,.  ... 
Mr.  Clinton's  reply  to  the  address,  which  was  presented 
on  the  twenty-sixth  of  May,  was  brief  aud  emphatic.  He 
remarked  upon  the  rapidity  with  which  the  address  had 
been  hurried  through  the  hovise,— -tiwp  hours  only  having 

85 


M 


974 


Liri  OV  8IR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BARlt 


<9^'  elapsed  from  the  time  when  it  was  reported  by  the  commit* 
wy-'  tee  until  its  presentation  all  engrossed !    ''  You  ahall  have," 
1747.  «  g|^}^  ^)^0  governor,  "  the  best  answer  to  this  representation 
"  you  can  expect    I  shall  take  all  possible  care  that  it  be 
"  laid  before  his  majesty  and  his  ministers,  who  are  the 
<<  proper  judges  of  my  conduct.    I  doubt  not  that  the  min- 
"  istry  will  discern  with  what  spirit  it  is  made,  and  for  what 
«*' purposes,"    Commanding  an  acyoumment  for  a  week, 
the  indomitable  sailor-governor  then  dis^nissied  his  refrac- 
tory little  parliament. 

Beassembling  on  the  second  of  Jane,  they  were  met  by 
an  executive  message  calhng  their  attention  to  the  distrac- 
tions prevailing  among  the  levies  at  the  north,  for  want  of 
their  pay.  The  governor  informed  them  that  thus  far  these 
levies  h&d  been  paid  by  the  crown,  he  himself  having  pro- 
vided the  means  by  drawing  bills  of  exchange.  >  The 
amoupt  thus  drawn  was  then  nine  thousand  pounds,  the 
whole  of  which  he  declared  should  be  applied  to  the  pay- 
ment of  t^e  new  levies.  Although  these  bills  had  all  been 
drawn  by  ^e  advice  of  his  council,  yet  his  excellency  began 
to  fear,  or  pretended  to  faar,  that  they  might  not  all  be 
honpred,  in  which  event  his  private  fortune  might  be 
involved.  Though  willing  to  draw  yet  farther  for  that 
object,  yet  he  was  pot  willing  to  jeopard  his  own  estate,— 
believing,  as  he  did,  that  pyery  man  in  the  province  was  as 
much  bound  as  himself  tp  contribute  from  his  private 
means  for  the  safety  of  the  people.  Jndemni&cation  against 
the  consequences  of  a  protest  of  his  biUs,  should  he  be 
required  to  draw  anymore  of  them,  ffw  therefore  demanded 
in  justice  to  his  own  family, 

7he  house,  in  answer,  referred  to  a  letter  fyom  the  duke 
of  J?"ewca8tle  of  April,  1746,  authorizing  the  necessary  pre- 
paratiions  for  the  long-projected  e^edition,  with  an  as- 
surance that  the  forces  to  be  raised)  officers  as  weU  as  rank 
and  tile,  showjd  be  taj^ep  into  bin  naajesty's  pay.  It  was 
thepefore  olewly  not  iftt;ende4  by  ^e  crown  that  the  pay- 
mei^t  of  tl^ese  forces  should  in  any  event  be  devolved  upon 


Lira  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


276 


1747. 


the  |)eople  of  the  colony ;  acid  the  refusal  of  the  governor  c*^* 
to  continue  bis  drafts  would  imply  a  distrust  of  the  king, 
und  render  himself  personally  answerable  for  the  lives  and ' 
estates  of  his  subjects.  Entertaining  these  views,  the 
assembly  peremptorily  refused  the  act  of  guaranty,-— 
declaring  at  the  same  time  that  as  his  excellency  had  the 
means  of  paying  the  forces  in  his  own  hands,  should  he 
refuse  to  use  them,  and  should  the  lives  and  estates  of  the 
people  be  endangered  by  the  threatened  desertion  of  the 
levies,  ''  his  excellency  alone  would  be  to  blame." 

From  the  fourth  of  June  to  the  same  day  of  August,  the 
assembly  only  met  to  a(\|ourn.  Meantime  the  governor 
replenished  his  exchequer  by  the  usual  resort  to  bills  of 
exchange,  and  on  the  nineteenth  of  June  embarked  fbr 
Albany,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  put  an  end  to  the  troubles 
with  the  levies.      •  •  • 4-  -:-i^,    ....... ,..    ..^;)^^ 

1  mttflt  litrt  fede  liight  of  Sir  Peter  "Warren,  whose  namid, 
as  an  adopted  citizen  of  Kew  York,  belongs  to  its  history. 
France,  smarting  under  the  loss  of  Cape  Breton,  and  mor- 
tified at  tile  disastrous  failure  of  D'Anville's  armada, 
determined  again  to  put  forth  her  energies  for  the  recovery 
of  Louisburg,  and  the  resuscitation  of  her  naval  character 
—of  late  so  deeply  compromised.  To  these  ends,  there^ 
fore,  another  deet  was  equipped,  at  Brest,  destined  against 
Louisburg  early  in  the  spring,  under  the  command  of  M. 
de  la  Jonquiere.  The  duty  of  watching  the  motions,  and, 
if  possible,  of  intercepting  this  fleet,  was  assigned  to  Vice 
Admiral  Anson, — a  widely  different  man  from  Admiral 
Lestock,  whose  equivocal  conduct,  on  the  French  coast, 
when  engaged  in  the  like  service,  has  already  been  recorded. 
It  has  already  been  said  that  Sir  Peter  Warren  returned  to 
England  in  the  autumn  of  1746.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
year  following  he  was  appointed  second  in  command  under 
Mr.  Anson,  hoisting  his  pennant  on  board  the  Devonshire, 
of  sixty-six  guns.  The  Brest  fleet,  uniting  a  large  convoy 
of  Indiamen,  and  numbering,  in  all,  thirty-eight  ships,  pro- 


■. 
] 

; 
'  -I", 


276 


LirU  OV  SIR  WILLIAM  JOnNBON,   DART. 


1747. 


!■:  ^ 


i.,    ■  >, 


If 


'191 , 


^'^'  coeded  to  8oa  about  tho  last  of  April.  It  was  fallen  in  with 
by  Admiral  Anson,  on  tho  third  of  May,  off  Capo  Fini»- 
terre.  When  doscriod,  nine  of  the  8hip8,*^men  of  wur» 
mounting  from  eighteen  to  seventy-four  guns, — were  short- 
eniii^'  sail  and  drawing  into  a  line  of  battle,  while  tho 
remainder  of  the  fleet,  consisting  of  the  vessels  under  con- 
voy, stretched  to  the  west  with  all  the  sails  they  could  set. 
Anson  immediately  formed  his  fleet  into  a  line ;  but  ob. 
serving  by  the  manceuvres  of  the  enemy  that  his  object  waa 
to  gain  time,  for  the  purpose,  probably,  of  escaping  undor 
favor  of  the  night,  then  approaching,  he  made  signal  for 
the  whole  fleet  to  close  and  engage  the  enemy,  without  any 
regard  to  the  line  of  battle.'  In  the  course  of  the  action 
that  ensued,  Warren  had  an  opportunity  which  he  failed 
not  to  improve,  of  signalizing  and  covering  himself  with 
glory.  He  ran  his  ship,  the  Devonshire,  up  with  Le  Siirieux^ 
the  flag-ship  of  M.  de  la  Jonquiere,  and  after  receiving  his 
fire,  which  was  well-directed,  closed  within  pistol-shot,  and 
continued  to  engage  in  the  most  daring  and  brilliant  style, 
until  the  enemy  struck.  Having  silenced  his  antagonist, 
Warren  proceeded  next  to  encounter  the  Invincible,  sev- 
enty-four, commanded  by  M.  de  St.  George,  the  second 
officer  of  the  enemy's  squadron.  Being  seconded  by  the 
Bristol,  Captain  Montague,  the  Invincible  was  in  a  short 
time  dismasted  and  taken  by  Warren.  The  general  action 
was  short  and  brilliant,  resulting  in  the  capture  of  the 
whole  French  squadron,  consisting  of  six  ships  of  two 
decks,  including  the  Gloire,  of  forty-four  guns,  and  four 
frigates. '  It  is  true  that  Anson's  fleet  was  greatly  superior 
in  the  appointment  of  ships  and  guns.  Three  of  his  ships, 
however,  participated  in  the  action  but  a  very  few  moments, 
— ^having  been  detached  as  soon  as  the  Frenchmen  were  so 
far  crippled  as  probably  to  render  them  unable  to  get  away, 
with  all  the  sail  they  could  press,  after  the  enemy's  flying 
Indiamen.  *    The  loss  of  the  English  was  not  severe, — Cap- 

,  ^Admiralty  official  report,  May  16,  1747.     „jT      ,:'.si'j''.'  //^'-i  y"  r . 
*Chamock.  i-  i  ■  -■     ♦  ■• 

*  AdmiraUy  report. 


Lin  09  SIR  WILLIAM  J01IK80N,  BART. 


277 


ttt'in  Orenville  being  the  only  officer  of  note  who  was  killed,  chaf. 
The  French  were  greater  suft'orens — M.  do  la  Jonquierc  w^w 
himself  was  shot  under  the  blade  bones  of  both  hia^^'"' 
shoulders,  but  the  wounds  were  not  mortal.  In  the  month 
of  July  following  this  memorable  engagement,  being 
stationed  with  a  squadron  off  Cape  Finisterro,  Sir  Peter 
fell  in  with  four  valuable  merchant  ships  of  the  enemy 
convoyed  by  two  men  of  war,  which  ran  into  a  bay  on  the 
island  of  Sisarga,  and  being  closely  pursued  they  all  ran 
on  shore.  One  of  the  men  of  war,  mounting  forty-four 
guns,  was  fired  by  the  crew  and  blown  up  before  Warren's 
boats  could  board  her ;  but  the  merchantmen  were  all  got 
off  and  brought  into  Plymouth  the  next  day,  being  the 
twenty-second  of  July.  Warren  was  now  floating  in  the 
tide  of  fortune,  for  very  shortly  after  taking  these  noble 
prizes  at  Sisarga,  he  fell  in  with  and  captu.xed  a  considera- 
ble fleet  of  French  West  Indiamen.  According  to  one 
account,  this  fleet  consisted  of  a  very  large  number  of  ships,' 
though  Charnock,  in  his  biography  of  Warren,  makes  no 
mention  of  this  affair.*  Sir  Peter's  gallantry  on  these 
occasions,  was  rewarded  by  his  farther  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  admiral  of  the  white.  He  sailed  again  from  Spit- 
head  on  a  cruise,  on  the  second  of  September,  but  falling 
sick  was  compelled  to  relinquish  his  command  and  go  on 
shore.  But  glory  had  not  been  the  only  reward  of  his 
splendid  coireer.  The  number  of  h  is  captures  had  produced 
an  ample  fortune,  whi9h  he  invested  in  part,  by  purchasing 
a  country-seat  in  Westbury,  Hampshire  county,  to  which 
he  now  retired.  His  circumstances  must  indeed  have  been 
affluent.  At  least  so  thought  soniie  of  his  relatives,  as 
appears  from  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  from  his 
nephew,  Captain  Warren  Johnson,  to  his  brother  the  colonel. 
This  letter  also  corroborates  the  preceding  account  of  the 
last  great  capture  of  West  India  merchantmen,  not  men- 
tioned by  Charnock : 

t  Qentleman's  Magaiine. 


,Hii^^:. 

1 

'■■,■;' 

I 

m 


278 


CHAP. 
VIL 


1747. 


LIFB  OF  But  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BART. 

v'ru^i.!   hrCaptam  Warren  Johnson  to  Ma  Brother. 
t'.i,'i,umL  ,, ;   >[>  I :     «2^j|^  YoKiL^  September  18, 1747. 


•1 


"Dear Brother:     'i'  ^^-^^  i-i  '^M  'i-ihnv 

"  Last  evening  I  arrived  here  from  Lonisburg,  in  order  to 
go  to  England  in  the  Scai-borough  man  of  war.       .  '       <; 

"  I  make  no  doubt  you  have  heard  of  my  uncle  "Warren's 
great  success  in  his  two  cruises,  the  first  with  Admiral 
Anson,  and  the  second  with  a  squadron  of  which  he  was 
commandep-in-chief— part  of  which  fell  in  with  the  St. 
Domingo  fleet,  and  took  sixty-two  sail  of  them.  He  had 
taken  several  rich  ships  before.  He  must  now  be  one  of 
the  richest  men  in  England,  and  not  one  has  done  his 
country  so  much  service.  He  must  be  worth  three  or  four 
hundred  thousand  pounds  st^rlmg.  He  is  now  vice  admiral 
of  the  white,  and  a  member  of  parliament  from  Weauinin- 
Hter,  and  I  have  no  doubt  in  a  very  short  time  he  will  be  a 
peer  Of  England,  there  being  no  person  better  able  to  mam- 
tain  that  dignity.  '  '/•I'"-.'        ■•*'  ''■  .-  '•-'ir.Miii  :  li-.,"; 

•     ■  *  _     *      *      '*■■■•     *  ■■..  *'  "u:  ^o,;i...  * 

"  Your  most  affectionate  Brother* 
•  ''      '  "Wabemi  Johnson." 

"  ColonelJohnson."       i'  f  ii>  v>   m'   ■ -i 

In  the  autumn  of  this  yeaf.  Sir  Peter  wati  returned  to 
parliament.  He  w^  likewise  at  about  the  Bame  time  pre- 
sented with  a  large  silver  monteth,  of  curious  workmanship, 
by  the  inhabitants  of  Barbadoes,  in  acknowledgment  of 
his  services  in  the  cruise  of  that  season.  *  The  exultation 
of  Sir  Peter's  relatives  at  his  good  fortune,  was  justifiable, 
for  they  had  been  bravely  won. 


iGentl«maii'8  Magaiine. 


■U.     ^•:-\     .!l    ■■■■- 


.-»" 


.Til,'..  .>;,-4v;i;oc  'i):'i:\.i:v  ,iii>  iii'j  ar^Li 


ii^k 


,>:■i^h^u:-'  ?,>   fK>fi;u,'!l-tiy;      ..it  'to  ;:i  >v1>?,,:,   SMftiro  v  :  .  ;i;H,  k  f  .-^trt 


*ai»  -io  l4fM;,!(;iii*'(;:  - 


''.'>;;•(■>>  Hr/r 'V4 1 ^  t   :ir«-'if'l:;  i 


:tV,  I 


iv\v  ■^i\^',,\'.ii>  >uj[  1,,..',;    V.,.;,  .,  'fhirij  ^iu.i 


J 


!VJ'l-.y 


v*nr.  .t.   ,„  CHAPTER   VIII. 


■iii.i  .1,-! ;  i:u  V  (ij'^H 


,\'}.:\i 


,) 


"•■f!"    -', 


CHAP- 

vm. 


jfiiiHfl'i'M.i  Iff ....' jif   ..i.  ,.  .  ;  1747        ^    ■  — 

Governor  Olinton,  who,  as  already  observed  in  the  last 
chapter,  had  departed  for  Albany  on  the  nineteenth  of  "—<—' 
June,  did  not  leave  an  hour  too  early,  for  the  military  affairs 
in  that  quarter  were  in  a  deplorable  condition.  Instead  of 
increasing  them,  for  the  purpose  of  offensive  operations, 
the  f i^^-ces  were  diminished  by  sickness  and  desertion,  and 
the  Uiousand  mischances  incident  to  an  army  of  irregulars 
kept  in  the  field  contrary  to  their  own  inclinations.  In 
such  numbers  did  they  desert,  that  a  party  of  thirty-eight 
m  a  body  were  fired  upon  by  the  officers  at  ^sopus,  and  ' 
retaken, — ^two  of  them  being  wounded.  They  were 
marched  back  to  Albany.  *  The  road  from  Mount  Johnson 
to  Oswego,  was  infested  by  the  enemy ;  muruers  were  com- 
mitted at  Burnetsfield ; '  so  that  Colonel  Johnson  could 
not  forward  supplies  without  a  strong  guard,  thus  materially 
enhancing  the  expense  of  executing  his  contract  for  that 
post  ;*  while  in  addition  to  all,  as  if  grown  weary  of  await- 
ing an  invasion  at  Crown  Point,  the  French,  with  their 
Indians,  were  again  showing  themselves  in  formidable  num- 
bers in  the  vicinity  of  Saratoga.  Colonel  Johnson  was 
advised,  on  the  sixteenth  of  June,  by  the  return  of  an 
unsuccessftil  war-party  of  the  Schoharies,*  of  the  approach 
upon  Lake  Champlain,  of  a  fleet  of  three  hundred  canoes, 
and  admonished  to  be  on  his  guard  against  a  surprise. '    Im- 

*  Manuscript  letter ;  John  H.  Ljdius  to  Colonel  Johnson. 

*  The  present  village  of  Herkimer. 

*  Manuscript  Letter :  Johnson  to  Clinton. 
*A  olan  of  the  Mohawks. 
'Manuscript  Letter :  Lyditts  to  Johnson, 


n 


280 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  mediately  on  the  arrival  of  this  intelligence  at  Saratoga, 
^-v— '  Captain  Chew  was  ordered  forth  with  a  detachment  of  one 
17*7.  hundred  men  to  reconnoitre  the  country  between  that  post 
and  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain.  Falling  in  with  the 
enemy  on  the  nineteenth  of  June,  an  action  ensued  in  which 
fifteen  of  his  men  were  killed,  and  forty-seven  more,  with 
himself,  taken  prisoners.  The  detachment  encountered 
by  Chew  was  commanded  by  M.  Lacose,  who  immediately 
fell  back  upon  a  much  larger  force,  occupying  the  path  of 
communication  between  the  Hudson  and  the  lake.  But 
Lacose  did  not  fall  back  without  leaving  a  detachment  of 
three  hundred  men,  under  M.  Lac^^uel,  to  lurk  about  Sara- 
toga, and  cut  off  approaching  supplies.  According  to  the 
representation  of  one  of  the  enemy's  Indians,  who  deserted 
and  came  into  Saratoga,  the  main  force  of  the  French  at 
the  carrying-place  consisted  of  twelve  companies.  The 
Indian  informed  farther,  that  Lacose  was  to  advance  again 
immediately  with  artillery  and  mining  tools,  to  lay  seige  to 
the  fort.  Meantime  the  three  hundred  who  had  been  left 
in  the  environs  of  the  fort,  under  M.  Laquel,  performed 
bold  service  by  appearing  openly  and  attempting  to  fire  a 
block-house,  used,  as  they  supposed,  as  a  magazine,  by 
shooting  burning  arrows  against  its  walls.  "  The  person 
"appointed  to  perform  this  duty,"  said  the  commander  of 
the  fort  in  a  letter  written  to  Colonel  Johijson,  "  had  a 
"  blanket  carried  before  him  that  he  might  not  discover  the 
"  fire  upon  the  points  of  the  arrows.  *"  The  main  body  of 
the  enemy  soon  moved  down  to  Fish  Creek,  a  few  miles 
north  of  Saratoga,  and  a  detachment  of  his  troops  was  thrown 
between  that  post  and  Albany.  Colonel  Scjhuyler  imme- 
diately marched  with  his  regiment,  and  such  other  forces 
as  he  could  raise  on  the  instant,  to  meet  the  invader ;  who, 
however,  though  greatly  superior  in  numbers,  retired  at 
his  approach  and  fell  back  to  Crown  Point. 

The  Indian  allies  of  the  English  Were  again  becoming 

>  Letter  to  Colonel  Johnson,  copied  in  his  own  hand,  but  the  signature  of 
which  is  cmitivd. 


LIFB  OT  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


much  dissatisfied  with  the  languor  pervading  the  service,  chap. 
After  having,  though  with  great  reluctance,  heen  incited  to  *— y— * 
engage  in  the  war,  they  were  desirous  of  seeing  it  prose-  ^*^*^' 
cuted  with  vigor.  A  number  of  their  chiefs  now  met 
Colonel  Schuyler  and  complained  bitterly  of  the  continued 
and  most  discouraging  delays.  They  had  been  chiefly 
induced  to  take  the  war-path  against  the  French  by  the 
extraordinary  preparations  they  had  marked  as  in  progress 
for  the  invasion,  and  they  had  not  themselves  been  back- 
ward in  annoying  the  enemy ;  but  as  they  were  convinced 
from  the  present  inactivity  of  the  English,  that  the  design 
of  an  invasion  n^ust  have  been  laid  aside, — a  conviction 
strengthened  by  the  daily  and  rapid  decrease  of  the  new 
levie8,-r-they  said  they  should  be  necessitated  to  make  peace 
with  the  French  for  themselves,  on  the  best  terms  they 
could.  Still,  if  the  English  would  immediately  march 
against  Crovm  Point,  they  would  cheerfully  assist  them 
with  one  thousand  of  their  best  warriors.  ^ 

I  have  found  no  record  of  Mr.  Clinton's  doings  at  Albany 
during  this  visit,  save  a  single  sentence  in  a  letter  written 
by  him  to  the  duke  of  N'ewcastle  upon  his  return  to  the 
oily,  to  the  effect  that  while  at  Albany,  he  had  prevailed 
upon  two  powerful  Indian  natives — formerly  in  the  French 
interest — ^to  join  the  English.  The  visit,  however,  was 
probably  a  short  one,  since  he  was  at  the  council  board 
again  in  July.  But  from  the  letters  of  Colonel  Johnson  it 
appears  that  he  met  the  governor  apd  concerted  arrange- 
ments for  relieving  Oswego,— ^Lieutenant  Visscher  having 
been  dispatched  thither  with  a  cargo  of  goods,  provisions, 
and  ammunition,  ,;       .  -:; 

Meantime  notwithstanding  the  loss  of  so  great  a  portion 
of  the  open  season,  and  the  utter  neglect  of  the  contest  by 
the  ministers,  so  far  at  least  as  the  colonies  were  concerned, 
Governor  Shirley  was  pushing  his  design  of  an  attack  upon 
Crown  Point,  with  all  the  zeal  and  energy  of  his  character, 
and  all  the  means  at  his  command.     There  could  be  no 

^  Gentleman's  Masazine.  September,  1747, 
36 


i>.\ 


.:i 


I 


282 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BABT, 


•  '/.r: 


1747. 


■  i: 


c*^'  security  for  the  frontiers  either  of  New  Yorl?  or  New  Eng, 
'  land  from  the  devastationB  of  tl^e  enemy,  until  Crown  Point, 
the  grand  rendezvous  of  the  numerous  war-parties  con- 
tinually harrassing  tl^e  border,  should  be  wrested  from  him ; 
and  in-  order  to  unity  of  action,  and  the  organization  and 
concentration  of  a  force  adequate  to  the  undertaking,  Shir- 
ley wrote  to  Clinton  is  July,  proposing  a  congress  of  the 
colonies  from  New  I[ampbhire  to  Virginia,  both  inclusive, 
to  consult  for  the  common  defence,  and  render  their  efforts 
for  the  prosecution  of  the  war  more  effective.  He  informed 
Mr.  Clinton  that  he  had  summoned  a  meeting  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts legislature  to  consider  the  subject,  and  he  urged 
a  similar  course  upon  New  York.  He  said  he  had  made 
like  communications  to  the  colonies  included  in  the  pro- 
ject, urging  them  all  to  cooperate, — Massachusetts,  at  all 
events,  being  determined  to  exert  her  utmost  power  in  the 
enterprise.  I{e  was  very  anxious  that  the  Six  Nations 
should  be  persuaded  to  greater  exertions  than  they  had 
hitherto  made ;  and  for  the  better  security  of  the  north- 
western settlements  of  Massachusetts,  he  asked  that  one 
hundred  rangers  might  be  employed  by  New  York  between 
Saratoga  and  the  New  England  border.  ^ 

The  general  assembly  of  Ne^v^  York  came  together  again 
for  the  transaction  of  business  Qp  the  fourth  of  August, 
when  Shirley's  letter  was  laid  before  them  by  the  governor, 
accompanied  by  a  message  informing  them  that  by  the 
advice  of  his  council  he  had  acceded  to  the  proposal  con- 
tained in  that  letter,  and  that  the  forces  of  the  province 
were  to  be  put  into  action  in  conjunction  with  those  of 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  The  season  for  offensive 
operations,  however,  was  already  too  far  advanced  to  allow 
of  a  n^eeting  of  commissioners  to  inake  estimates  of  the 
expense,  an4  to  adjust  the  proportions  which  each  colony 
respectively  should  bear.  But  on  a  rough  calculation  it 
was  thought  that  fourteen  thousand  pounds  would  cover 
the  pjis-rges  of  the  intended  movement,  and  l^is  excellency 

1 8ea  Shirley's  letter  in  the  minutes  of  the  oounoil  boud, 


LIVK  OV  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


288 


1747. 


trusted  that  neitiier  of  the  colonies  would  be  backward  in  ^j^* 
meeting  its  just  share  of  the  amount.  Indeed,  he  thought^ 
New  York  might  venture  to  assume  more  than  its  quota, 
both  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  having  advanced  con- 
eiderable  sums  to  stimulate  the  Six  Nations  in  continuing 
their  incursions  against  the  enemy.  The  governor  said  he 
had  received  the  renewed  assurances  of  the  good  feelings 
of  the  Six  Nations,  with  pledges  of  their  most  vigorous 
assistance ;  and  he  had  likewise  reason  to  expect  the  aid 
of  several  more  distant  tribes,  heretofore  in  the  interests 
of  the  French.  He  would  bring  no  other  subject  to  the 
attention  of  the  assembly  then,  wishing  their  immediate 
action  upon  this  important  matter,  that  he  might  communi- 
cate their  determination  to  the  other  governments  forth- 
with, and  thus  prevent  Airther  loss  of  time. 

The  message  was  not  met  in  a  corresponding  spirit  by 
the  assembly,  but  on  the  contrary,  the  first  action  was  the 
adoption  of  a  series  of  resolutions  insulting  the  governor, 
and  evasive  as  to  the  object  specially  pressed  upon  their 
consideration.  They  cautiously  declared  their  willingness 
to  come  into  any  "well-concerted"  scheme  for  annoying 
the  common  enemy,  but  they  would  not  consent  to  ruse 
moneys  upon  the  "pretence"  contained  in  the  message^ 
without  a  better  knowledge  of  the  "grounds"  and  "rea- 
sons." They  doubted  whether  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut had  ever  contributed  any  "considerable  sums"  for 
the  Indian  service,  and  even  if  they  had  done  so,  New  York 
had  paid  more  than  both  of  them  put  together,-'^>«adding  to 
the  sentence  the  significant  insinuation — "  and  his  excel- 
lency knows  how  these  suras  have  been  applied."  Still, 
for  the  promotion  of  any  "  well  concerted  scheme"  against 
the  enemy  by  the  three  colonies  named  in  the  message, 
they  would  consent  to  bear  one-third  of  the  expense; 
believing,  however,  that  the  other  colonies,  not  mentioned, 
ought  to  contribute  to  the  cause.  These  negative  resolves 
were  adopted  on  the  sixth  of  August.  From  that  day  until 
the  thirty-first,  not  the  least  attention  was  paid  by  the 


284 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BIRT. 


o^P-  assembly  to  the  state  of  the  colony, — its  time  being  occu- 
V-V-'  pied  upon  bills  of  comparatively  trifling  moment,  such  as 
^^^'  for  farming  out  the  excisej^^fbr  raising  a  farther  sum  by 
lottery  toward  founding  a  college, — and  for  the  examina- 
tion of  the  public  accounts  for  the  year  1718 ;  for  prevent- 
ing desertions  from  the  forces,  &c.,  ka,  >.*"  «'^  H-kjWc.vrrtiiti/ii 
But  if  the  assembly  was  idle,  the  enemy  was  not,  and  the 
people  of  the  northern  settlements,  even  of  Albany  itself, 
were  in  a  high  state  of  alarm,  and  that  not  without  reason. 
Parties  of  the  enemy  had  penetrated  south  of  the  Mohawks 
into  the  valley  of  the  Schohariekil,  where  a  number  of 
men  had  been  killed  and  scalped.  Saratoga  was  also  once 
more  nearly  if  not  quite  surrounded  by  tiie  foeman,  and 
several  persons  had  likewise  been  killed  in  that  vicinity. 
How  Colonel  Johnson  was  engaged  at  this  time,  will  appear 
by  the  following  extracts  from  a  letter  addressed  by  mm  to 
the  governorV  55*i.#-»Ui;/C4Ji^-nfi^:-«tf.f '•|!#^,i^i|  ifimmmr^^< 

•»t'*ilt  j!'H|(  Colonel  Johnson  to  Governor  CUnton. 

"  Mount  Johnson,  August  18, 1747. 
"  May  it  please  your  excellency : 

"I  enclose  the  messsige  sent  by  the  "New  England  Indians 
to  their  uncles,  the  Mohawks,  and  their  answer  to  it,  by 
which  all  people  may  see  that  the  Indians  are  in  earnest, 
and  resolved  to  proceed  in  the  war.  I  this  day  had  an 
account  by  an  Indian  express  from  Oswego,  that  there  were 
a  great  number  of  Senecas,  and  some  of  the  foreign  Indians 
with  them,  (called  the  Flat  Heads,)  coming  down  to  me 
with  several  belts  of  wampum,— one  whereof  is  a  vast  large 
one, — almost  like  the  one  your  excellency  gave  the  Six 
Nations  last  summer, — ^which  belt  must  purport  a  great  deal 
of  news.  I  expect  them  here  in  two  days,  and  am  making 
everything  ready  for  their  reception.  As  soon  as  I  have 
heard  the  news,  and  have  done  with  them,  I  shall  let  your 
excellency  know  the  purport. 

******  ,;,*!<;,.       i-i,  «  * 

"I  spoke  to  your  excellency  when  in  Albany,  about  neces- 
saries for  the  men  destined  for  the  Indian  service,  but  find 


/•  . 


LItB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


286 


nothing  done  about  it.    I  have  not  one  pair  of  Indian  shoes  <^Ar. 
for  them,  without  which  they  cannot  go  through  the  woods,  wv-* 
I  proposed  doing  great  service  with  these  men,  and  the  ^'**^* 
Indians  together,  but  it  seems  I  may  not  have  the  oppor* 
tunity ;  for  there  is  not  even  one  of  the  companies  which, 
were  ordered  for  that  service  moved  up  here  yet,  which 
makes  the  Indians  think  Worse  and  worse  of  us,  after 
assuring  them  they  should  be  up  very  shortly.    I  lead  a 
most  miserable  life  among  them  at  present^  occasioned  by 
80  many  disappointments.    *)»  .-^ffisaliw  >  i«-  &»it<>i*»"*A  hmm>i 

"  There  is  one  thing  which  I  wish  your  excellency  to 
consider  of,  which  is  my  extraordinary  expense  in  keeping 
several  hands  employed  to  attend  the  numbers  of  Indians 
I  have  daily  had  at  my  house  these  twelve  months  past ;  as 
also  of  a  clerk,  who,  with  myself,  has  more  work  than  men 
can  well  bear.  This  tiie  country  is  very  sensible  of.  So  I 
shall  leave  it  to  your  excellency's  consideration  what  to  do 


init."» 


-»^ii^'4HK 


*  On  the  twenty-fourth  of  August,  information  was  received 
by  the  governor  from  Albany,  that  the  forces  stationed  there 
had  been  withdrawn  from  the  city,  and  posted  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Hudson,  a  mile  below,  by  which  movement  the 
city  was  left  defenceless,  greatly  exposed,  and  the  people 
much  alarmed.  Several  gentlemen  from  Albany  were 
examined  upon  the  subject  before  the  legislative  council, 
who  confirmed  the  statement.  It  farther  appeared  that 
depredations  had  been  committed  by  the  enemy  in  the  very 
precincts  of  Albany ;  that  there  were  not  more  than  three 
hundred  of  its  citizens,  old  and  young,  capable  of  bearing 
arms ;  and  that  all  were  compelled,  from  the  aged  judge  of 
the  court  to  the  stripling,  to  mount  guard  in  turn  each  one 
every  fourth  night, — ^whereupon  an  address  was  presented 
to  the  governor  praying  that  the  levies  at  the  north  be 
ordered  to  move  into  the  city  and  remain  there  for  its  pro- 

'  Manuscript  Letter. 


i       i 


286 


LIfB  OF  8IB  WILLUH  JOHNSON,  BAAt, 


o^.  tection  until  otherwise  directed. 


1747. 


M'l 


The  cause  of  this  move* 
ment  of  the  troops  from  Albany  nowhere  appears.  It 
seems,  however,  to  have  been  of  apie<ie  with  the  bustling, 
yet  strangely  inefficient  conduct  of  the  war  in  this  quarter 
from  the  beginning.  ■>  Hvn-t  j^'t-  .,j 

Impatient,  and  not  without  reason,  at  the  inaction  of  the 
assembly,  the  governor  sent  them  a  message  on  the  thirty- 
first  of  August,  informing  them  explicitly  that  he  would 
no  longer  ftimish  provisions  for  the  four  independent  com- 
panies stationed  at  Albany,  at  the  expense  of  the  crown, 
nor  for  the  levies  from  the  southern  counties,  destined  for 
the  Canadian  expedition.  Neither  would  he  draw  any 
longer  upon  the  crown  for  the  support  of  the  Indian  depart- 
ment, although  he  could  not  disguise  the  toot  that  a  failure 
of  supplies  for  the  Indian  war-parties,  might  be  followed 
by  frightful  consequences.  He  therefore  requested  a  vote 
of  supplies  for  those  objects  of  the  public  service  for  two 
months, — ^by  the  end  of  which  time  he  hoped  to  receive 
definite  information  as  to  his  majesty's  pleasure  respecting 
the  forces  at  Albany,  and  also  to  learn  whether  the  neigh- 
boring colonies  would  contribute  toward  the  defence  of  the 
country.  He  informed  them  that  since  the  invasion  of  the 
enemy  at  Bumetsfield,  Colonel  Johnson  could  no  longer 
supply  the  post  at  Oswego,  save  at  double  the  former 
expense,  nor  even  then  unless  furnished  with  a  guard  to 
escort  the  stores.  A  vote  of  supplies  for  this  object,  and 
also  to  defray  the  cost  of  transporting  provisions  to  Sara- 
toga, was  necessary,  since  these  expenses  could  no  longer 
be  borne  by  the  crown.  Accompanying  the  message  was 
an  extract  from  a  letter  from  Colonel  Johnson,  informing 
the  governor  that  he  was  about  to  set  out  at  the  head  of  a 
considerable  party  of  Christians  and  Indians  in  quest  of  a 
large  body  of  the  enemy  and  his  allies  who  had  been  dis- 
covered between  Saratoga  and  Crown  Point.  This  letter 
was  dated  on  the  nin  eteenth  of  August.  Two  days  afterward 
another  dispatch  from  the  colonel,  dated  the  twenty-eighth, 
was  communicated  to  the  assembly  upon  the  amie  subject. 


LITB  OF  IIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAET. 


28T 


'  The  aagembly  replied  by  resolutionfl  deolaringthat  neither  chap. 
the  crowD  nor  the  colony  need  be  at  the  expense  of  aup-  ^^-^^ 
porting  the  four  companies  of  independent  fusileers  sta-  ^'*'' 
tioned  at  Albany,  they  having  always  subsisted  themselves, 
out  of  their  own  pay,  save  when  detached  to  distant  posts, 
as  at  Oswego,  for  example,  in  which  cases  the  colony  had 
always  furnished  the  supplies,  as  of  course  they  ought. 
The  colony,  it  was  said,  had  from  time  to  time,  and  some- 
times even  without  his  excellency's  recommendation,  pro- 
visioned the  sixteen  companies  of  one  hundred  levies  each ; 
and  it  appeared  to  the  assembly  unreasonable  that  they 
should  be  burdened  with  the  farther  expense  of  supporting 
the  forces  from  the  more  southern  colonies,  which  ought 
each  to  provide  for  their  own.  In  regard  to  the  Indian 
service,  inasmuch  as  the  crown  had  authorized  the  making 
of  such  presents  to  them  in  1746,  as  would  secure  their 
hearty  cottperation  in  the  war,  they  urged  that  his  excel- 
lency ought  to  continue  drawing  upon  that  source,  for  that 
object,  at  least  until  his  majesty's  pleasure  should  be  sig- 
nified to  the  contrary,— hoping  at  the  same  time — ^for  the 
house  lost  no  opportunity  of  renewing,  at  least  by  impli- 
cation, the  charge  of  a  former  embezzlement  of  Indian 
presents, — that  his  excellency  had  made  such  use  of  the 
means  placed  in  his  hands  by  the  crown  for  that  object, 
as  had  been  for  the  advantage  of  his  majesty's  service. 
80  of  supplying  Saratoga,  as  his  excellency's  bills  for  sup- 
plying that  post  had  thus  far  been  borne  by  the  crown,  he 
should  continue  to  draw  until  instructed  to  the  contrary. 
Respeoting  the  hardship  of  Colonel  Johnson's  case,  it  was 
held  that  according  to  his  excellency's  own  message  of 
December  second,  1746,  that  gentleman  had  contracted  to 
supply  the  garrison  at  Oswego  upon  the  same  terras  in  war 
as  in  peace.  No  additional  allowance  ought  therefore  to 
be  inade  to  him  for  that  service,  even  for  defraying  the 
expenses  of  guards.  The  pressure  of  the  enemy  upon  the 
northern  settlements,  however,  awakened  the  assembly  to 
a  partial  sense  of  duty  in  the  emergency ;  and  having  thus 


■■■! 

y 

1                           J 

,i1 

!i 


,i 


'  II 


V» 


It 


388 


Lira  OF  SIR  TflLLIAM  JOHITSON,  BIBT. 


CHAP,  cavalierly  discussed  those  subjects  of  the  message,  it  had 
s-yw  the  grace  to  resolve  that  provision  ought  to  be  made  for 
^^^7'  the  pay  and  subsistence  of  throe  companies  of  rangers,  of 
fifty  men  each,  for  the  protection  of  the  inhabitants  against 
the  skulking  parties  of  the  enemy, — one  for  the  defence  ot 
Albany,  one  for  Schenectady,  and  one  for  Kinderhook. 
The  feelings  of  Mr.  Clinton  in  regard  to  these  resolutions, 
may  be  inferred  from  the  subjoined  letter  communicating 
a  copy  thereof  to  Colonel  Johnson :  It  also  shows  the  high 
estimate  which  Clinton  placed  upon  the  services  which 
Johnson  was  then  rendering  to  the  country :     "wp^K  y»  u-ut 

''l\!«f  ihu.  Ghi^er^QV  Clinton  to  ColonelJohnson. 

~ -'  • '   .it*  tft  i)  h«g^i      Nhw  York,  S©j)iteiab€a?  7,^  1747. 

My  last  letter  to  you  was  dated  the  twentieth  of  August. 
Soon  after  I  received  yours  of  the  fourteenth,  seventeenth, 
and  nineteenth,  acquainting  me  of  your  intention  of  going 
out  with  a  party  of  Indians  and  Christians ;  and  very  uneasy 
I  have  been  ever  since,  afraid  lest  that  letter  should  be  the 
means  of  your  laying  aside  such  a  glorious  design,  which 
must  always  redound  to  your  honored  reputation.  You 
ought  to  receive  the  thanks  of  the  whole  province  for  what 
you  have  already  done  for  it,  but  am  sorry  to  say,  instead 
of  public  thanks,  you  have  the  frowns  of  an  inveterate 
assembly,  as  you  will  see  by  the  inclosed  resolves.  But  I 
hope  you  will  receive  thanks  from  their  superiors. 

"  I  must  tow  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  yours  of  the 
twenty-eighth  of  August,  which  I  immediately  communi- 
cated to  the  council  and  assembly,  in  hopes  it  would  have 
touched  their  souls.  *  But  notwithstanding  it  was  delivered 
to  them  before   their  resolve  about  the  provisions  for 

1  Johnson  was  very  careful  in  preserring  the  original  draughts  of  his  let- 
ters. But  the  letter  we  have  spoken  of,  with  many  hundreds  of  others,  has 
not  Bunrived  the  ravages  of  time  and  ohanoe.  According  to  the  entry  of 
its  substance  in  the  minutes  of  the  counoU  board,  however,  the  force  the 
colonel  was  now  preparing  to  lead  against  the  enemy,  consisted  of  "four 
hundred  Christians  and  about  the  same  number  of  Indians." 


Ufl  Of  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


Qftg 


Oswego,  it  had  no  effect  on  thorn.    But  I  will  venture  to  oi^p. 
gay,  that  though  these  stubborn  Dutchmen  won't  do  you  ^v-f 
the  justice  they  ought,  yet  when  I  represent  to  his  majesty  "*^' 
the  vast  progress  you  have  made,  (beyond  any  reasonable 
expectation,)  by  your  good  management,  and  most  extraor- 
dinary influence  with  the  Indians,  which  you  surprisingly 
cultivate  continually,  your  conduct  and  behavior  will  be 
greatly  approved  by  his  mf^esty,  and  in  suc^h  a  manner  as 
may  show  these  wretches  you  have  merited  your  royal 
master's  favor,  in  a  great  measure  preserving  not  only  this 
bat  all  the  northern  colonies  from  ruin. 

''I  acquainted  governor  Shirley  what  you  desired  in 
relation  to  Lydius,  who  desired  I  would  acquaint  you  he 
was  sorty  you  had  taken  umbrage  at  Lydius's  being  con- 
cerned widi  you  in  what  has  been  done  by  his  government 
towards  securing  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations  in  our 
interest  He  would  not  have  you  imagine  that  himself,  or 
any  part  of  his  government,  puts  Lydius's  services  in  the 
least  computation  with  your  own,  or  that  the  Indians  have| 
been  engaged  in  acts  of  hostility  against  the  French,  by 
any  person's  influence  but  your  own,  under  my  directions ; 
and  your  uncle  Sir  Peter,  to  whom  his  letters  on  that  head, 
and  the  duke  of  liTewcastle,  have  been  shown,  can  inform 
you  that  he  has  done  your  merit  all  the  justice  in  his  power. 

''For  my  part  I  think  this  expedition  you  have  now 
undertaken,  to  be  of  such  infinite  service  to  this  and  the 
neighboring  colonies,  that  though  I  was  determined  to  be 
at  no  more  charges  for  the  Indians  at  the  expense  of;  the 
crown,  yet  I  can't  avoid  doing  it  again  in  justice  to  yen 
and  the  brave  Indians  who  are  on  this  party  with  you ;  for 
which  reason,  whatever  goods  and  expense  you  are  at,  for 
satisfying  the  Indians,  on  your  return  I  will  give  you  my 
bills  on  the  treasury  therefor.  But  tl^en  I  must  desire  you 
to  give  it  out,  (and  to  let  nobody  know  to  the  contrary) 
that  you  take  this  expense  upon  yourself  from  the  faith  you 
have  in  the  assembly,  which  ctw't  refuse  to  pay  yoi;  fop 


m 


'C'-Jfl   '*lh'3^Mtittti*' 


'1  »l 


n 


i 


290 


LIFB  or  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


°^-  service  that  is  so  absolutely  neoeasAry  for  the  safety  of  the 
'-',  -'  f '"'ople  of  this  province.  1*1 

1747.  ,  [  would  send  you  up  monoy,  but  as  I  writ  you  word  in 
xny  letter  of  the  twentieth,  J  'x>uld  not  get  a  farthing,  on 
account  of  a  man-of-war  going  to  England.  I  should  there- 
fore be  glad  if  you  would  take  bills  for  the  acoount  you 
sent  me,  and  add  this  to  it,  your  uncle  can  solicit  it,  and  I 
promise  to  do  all  in  my  power,  both  with  the  duko  of  New- 
castle and  Mr.  Pelham,  to  get  them  immediately  i  Ad  and 
I  can  assure  you  you  may  depend  on  Mr.  P'li]  Icy  c  in-,  rest 
in  it  entirely.  I  think  you  had  best  coiun  down,  and  we 
can  together  settle  things  to  the  sati  <>i*ctiou  o*  joth  of  us. 
" Commissioners  are  come  fron  .:  ..ton  to  negotiates 
scheme  for  securing  the  Indinns  and  frontiers,  ard  I  expect 
others. '  It  will  not  be  amiss  to  acquaint  the  Indians  of 
it.  I  hope  Mr.  Shirley  and  I  shall  soon  agreo  upon  tome- 
thing  to  keep  the  Indians  steadfast  in  our  interest.  <-r^mi 
"  You  have  several  friends  on  the  spot  who  heartily  wish 
you  well,  and  a  great  deal  of  success ;  and  I  do  assure  you 
nobody  does  it  more  heartily  than,  dear  sir, 

^rh'.i  .>t>'|5if  t<  "  Your  faithful  friend  and  serv't,     %•;»••  v>^l., 
,<ii»'.i.  HV4-J  ♦w>*^<ii*'-i  iJirf  ttfiiijtvr  «i  v»'*l«>'vl  1     G.  Clinton. 

"P.  S.  I  must  caution  you  to  be  on  your  guard,  for  some 
people  who  ought  to  bear  a  greater  regard  for  you  than 
they  ever  showed,  considering  the  alliance  between  them 
and  Sir  Peter,  have  some  designs  not  to  save  you,  take  my 
word,  but  themselves.  I  wait  with  great  impatience  to 
hear  from  you.  * 
»* Colonel  Johnson."   ' -' ""  ^^^f*^^'  '■''■^•'   >  "'''^  J  «-'   """!■ 


1  These  oommissionei*  -w .  <«  **'  tmuel  Weill,  Robert  Hal"  and  OliTer  Part- 
ridge. Shirley's  1"  <  !>>...  \g  their  •  .atmeot,  was  received  and 
laid  before  GoTerno/  Clluian's  bonuoil  on  the  fourth  of  September.  On  the 
eleTenth,  Roger  Woloott,  Thomas  Fitch,  and  Benjamin  Hall,  were  announced 
M  the  commissioners  ttom  Connecticut.  On  the  twenty-seeond,  Philip  Lir- 
ingston,  and  Joseph  Murray,  of  the  ezeoutiTO  council,  and  William  Nicholl, 
Philip  Terplanok,  and  Harry  Cruger,  of  the  assembly,  were  appointed  com- 
missioners to  the  congress  on  the  part  of  New  York. 

'Manoaoript  letter. 


lira  or  en  whliam  johnsoit,  bart. 


S91 


(<r,.';Wil    )>rl,:'. 


T^ie  aailor-j^overnor,  who  certainly  wrote  hii  own  letters,  cHy. 
altho  ^'^  Coldeu  had  the  credit  of  preparing  his  state- -^^^ 
papors,  was  not  the  beut  rhetorician  of  his  <4ay.  Still,  he  ^^*^* 
coul<.  write  well  enough  to  make  himsolf  understood. 
Colonel  Johnson  was  now  evidently  in  high  favor  with  his 
oxcollency,  v  hile  the  memben)  cif  the  assembly  were 
denounced  with  emphasis,  though  in  a  private  letter, 
"wretches."  The  character  of  Lydius  was  questionable, 
and  there  was  probable  cause  for  thv  jealousy  of  Johnson 
toward  him.  Lydius  had  visited  Boston  during  the  pre- 
ceding month  of  May,  and  from  the  tenor  of  a  lettwi 
addressed  to  him  soon  after  his  return  to  Albany,  by  Colonel 
Stoddard,  of  Northampton,  which  I  find  among  the  '  ohn- 
8on  papers,  he  must  have  succeeded  in  imposing  hiiuself 
upon  Governor  Shirley  and  his  counsellors  as  a  man  of  no 
mean  consideration.  The  postscri  t  to  the  foregoing  letter 
of  Mr.  Clinton,  referred,  of  couiae,  to  DeLancey,  now 
become  the  master-spirit  of  the  assembly,  and  who  hftd 
probably  moved  the  house  to  the  ho^tile  resolution  against 
Johnson.  But  the  chief  justice  waa  too  warv  to  commit 
himself  upon  paper, — using  Mr.  Horsmanden,  his  associate 
upon  the  bench,  as  his  amanuensis.  The  resolutions  and 
addresses  of  the  assembly  during  this  stormy  period  were 
understood  to  have  been  written  by  him,  and  the  day  on 
which  he  was  to  be  punished  for  these  >  ;vbors,  was  now  ra- 
pidly drawing  nigh.  Having  invested  the  chief  justice  with 
a  commission  irrevocable  during  good  behavior,  and  there- 
fore being  unable  to  visit  him  with  hie  resentment,  the 
governor  determined  to  bestow  the  fill  measure  of  his 
vengeance  upon  his  instrument.  Acc(  -dingly,  on  the 
twelfth  day  of  September,  Mr.  Horsmande  .  was  suspended 
from  his  majesty's  service  as  a  member  of  he  council,  and 
a  note  of  his  suspension  was  directed  to  be  entered  upon 
the  journals.  The  reasons  for  this  procedure  the  governor 
said  he  would  cause  to  be  laid  before  his  majesty.  Having 
also  been  previously  named  as  one  of  the  coi  imissioners  to 
meet  the  representatives  from  the  other  coi  onies  in  con- 


''*$FP 


292 


LIPB  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CWAP.  gre88,  Mr.  Horsmanden's  name  was  ordered  to  be  stricken 
V— ^— 'from  that  commission.'    Nor  was  his  degradation  com- 
1747.  pleted  until  his  removal  from  the  bench,  and  from  the 
recordership  of  the  city, — measures  that  followed  in  quick 
succession.    Yet  he  continued  to  hold  the  pen  for  the 
assembly  for  a  considerable  time  afterward.    Being  poor, 
however,  he  was  compelled  to  rely  upon  the  private  bounty 
of  his  friends  and  partisans ;   and  those  who  know  the 
selfishness  and  ingratitude  of  politicians,  in  all  ages,  and 
almost  without  an  exception,  may  well  judge  how  he  fared. 
In  the  emphatic  language  of  Smith,  he  was  "  employed, 
applauded, — and  ruined.*"     ^=  •    •<i^i  •  •;  iu:-i>n  !^  ^    'u.uf 
The  return  of  Colonel  Johnson  from  his  expedition 
toward  Cro^»Ti  Point  in  search  of  the  enemy,  whom  he  was 
not  aible  to  find,  was  announced  to  the  governor  by  express 
on  the  thirteenth  of  September.    Very  unpleasant  intelli- 
gence, however,  had  been  received  from  that  direction  a 
few  days  before,  filling  the  assembly  and  the  people  with 
alarm.    The  fort  at  Saratoga  was  garrisoned  by  the  New 
Jersey  levies,  commanded  by  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler ;  but 
as  Mr.  Clinton  was  inflexible  in  his  purpose  of  drawing  no 
more  upon  the  crown,  there  was  danger  of  a  speedy  evacu- 
ation of  the  post  for  want  of  provisions.     Indeed,  infor- 
mation to  that  effect  from  Colonel  Schuyler  himself,  caused 
the  assembly,  without  waiting  for  his  excellency's  answer 
to  their  resolutions  of  the  second  of  September,  to  address 
him  on  the  ninth,  praying  earnestly  for  tbe  adoption  of  such 

1  Minutei  of  the  counoil  board. 

*  «  Suoh  wag  his  oondition,  until  he  raided  himself  by  an  advantageous 
match,  and,  by  forsaking  his  associates,  reconciled  himself  to  Mr.  Clintoni 
when  that  governor  broke  with  the  man  whose  indisoi^etion  and  vehemence 
the  chief  justice  had  improved,  to  expose  both  to  the  general  odium  of  the 
colony.  Until  his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Vesey,  Mr.  Horsmandcn  was  an  object 
of  pity  ;  toasted  indeed  as  the  man  who  dared  to  bo  honest  in  the  wornt  of 
times,  but  at  a  loss  for  his  meals,  and,  by  the  importunity  of  his  crcclitnrn, 
hourly  exposed  to  the  horrors  of  a  jail ;  and  hence  his  irreconcilal)leoiiniity 
to  Doctor  Golden,  by  whoso  advice  he  fell,  and  to  Mr.  DeLaiiccy,  wIil.su 
ambitious  politics  exposed  him  to  the  vengeance  of  thut  minislor. " — !:imi;li, 
vol.  ii.  page  139. 


LITB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


298 


measures  as  would  prevent  the  destruction  of  the  forces,  chap. 
and  preserve  the  fortress  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  w^-/ 
enemy,  with  its  heavy  cannon  and  stores.    In  the  event  of  ^^*^* 
the  desertion  of  the  Jerseymen,  the  house  suggested  that 
the  post  might  be  regarrisoned  by  a  detachment  from  the 
new  levies  destined  against  Canada.     Or,  if  these  levies 
were  not  still  within  his  excellency's  command,  they  prayed 
that  a  portion  of  the  independent  fusileers  might  be  sent 
thither,  the  assembly  pledging  the  necessary  supplies  for 
that  service.    But  before  this  address  had  been  presented, 
the  governor  had  rendered  any  answer  thereto  unnecessary 
by  a  message  of  a  very  decided  character  in  reply  to  the 
resolutions  of  the  house  of  the  preceding  week,  in  which 
all  the  demands  for  supplies  contained  in  his  last  preceding 
message,  were  reiterated,  with  a  threat  that  unless  the 
house  should  revoke  its  determination  not  to  provide  for 
the  transportation  of  supplies  to  the  outposts,  together  with 
its  refusal  to  allow  Colonel  Johnson  a  guard  to  convey  the 
supplies  for  Oswego,  he  should  be  under  the  necessity  of 
withdrawing  the  garrisons  both  from  the  last  mentioned 
post,  and  from  Saratoga, — points  which  would  of  course 
be  immediately  occupied  by  the  enemy.    Recapitulating 
again  the  history  of  his  own  successful  negotiations  with 
the  Indians,  and  extolling  the  services  of  Colonel  Johnson, 
his  excellency  reminded  the  assembly  of  the  great  expense 
to  which  the  crown  had  been  put  in  bringing  the  Indians 
into  their  present  amicable  state  of  feeling  toward  the 
English,  and  insisted  that  the  colony  ought  in  justice  to 
defray  the  future  charge  of  maintaining  those  relations. 
In  any  event,  he  demanded  appropriations  to  cover  the 
demands  of  the  service  for  at  least  two  months,  admonish- 
ing the  assembly  that  if  this  demand  should  again  be 
refused,  the  responsibility  for  every  calamity  that  might 
consequently  ensue,  would  rest  upon  them.     "If,"  said  his 
excellency  in  closing,  "  you  deny  me  the  necessaiy  supplies, 
all  my  endeavors  must  become  ineffectual  and  fruitless ; 
I  must  wash  my  hands,  and  leave  at  your  doors  the  blood 


m 


:W 


'"^'i»iH.iiiiiii«m«Miw 


294 


LIFE  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


i 


9^-  of  the  innoceut  people  that  may  be  shed  by  a  cruel  and 
^-.v—' merciless  enemy."  This  message  was  received  by  the 
17*7-  house  on  the  tenths  and  referred  to  a  committee.  One  day 
after,  the  committee  deputed  to  wait  upon  his  excellency 
with  the  resolution^  of  the  ninth,  reported  that  they  had 
discharged  their  duty,  but  that  the  governor  had  declined 
answering  them.  Whereupon  it  was  forthwith  resolved 
that  his  excellency  be  again  addressed  to  the  same  effect 
as  before  in  regard  to  the  perilous  condition  of  Saratoga ; 
and  on  the  sixteenth  another  series  of  resolutions  was 
adopted,  embodying  the  exact  substance  of  those  of  the 
ninth,  save  that  the  assembly  now  avowed  a  willingness, 
should  Colonel  Johnson,  by  any  unforseen  accident,  be  a 
sufferer  in  the  execution  of  his  contract  for  supplying 
the  garrison  at  Oswego,  to  take  M  ase  into  consideration, 
and  do  for  him  whatever  might  appear  to  be  reasonable. 
But  upon  every  other  poinl;  the  house  insisted  upon  its 
former  positions. 

This  vexatious  game  of  cross  purposes  was  interrupted 
by  successive  a^j^^^ii^ents,  by  command  of  the  governor, 
until  the  fifth  of  October,— 'not,  however,  without  a  remon- 
strance by  the  assembly  against  these  interruptions,  and  a 
vote  of  censure  for  the  inconvenience  to  which  his  excel- 
lency was  subjecting  the  members.  Yet  Mr.  Clinton 
deserved  not  the  censure,  being  engaged  during  the  recess 
in  active  negotiations  with  the  commissioners  from  the 
several  colonies  then  in  session,  and  not  desiring  the 
presence  of  the  assembly  until  the  results  of  those  nego- 
tiations could  be  communicated.  Meantime,  as  volunteers 
could  not  be  obtained  for  recruiting  the  garrison  at  Oswego, 
Colonel  Philip  Schuyler  was  ordered  to  draft  the  requisite 
number  of  men  for  that  service  from  his  own  regiment; 
and  Colonel  Roberts  was  directed  to  send  three  companies 
of  levies  to  Saratoga,  with  instructions  that  should  it  be 
found  impossible  to  maintain  that  post,  the  fort  and  block- 
houses must  be  destroyed,  and  the  cannon  and  military 
stores  removed  to  Albany.  *    Very  shortly  afterward  advices 

>  Journals  of  the  couacii  boar d. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


295 


were  received  that  the  latter  clause  of  the  instractions  had  chap. 
been  obeyed  to  the  letter.    The  fort  had  been  burnt  and  >-^ 
the  stores  removed  as  directed, — ^by  which  measure  of  ^^*7' 
questionable   necessity  the  northern   frontiers   was  left 
entirely  uncovered. '  :; 

At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  governor.  Colonel 
Johnson  had  now  arrived  in  New  York  for  consultation 
respecting  the  condition  of  the  colony  at  large ;  and  on 
the  third  of  October,  a  committee  of  the  executive  council 
was  directed  to  summon  the  colonel  before  them  for  exam- 
ination, with  special  relation  to  Indian  affairs  and  the 
measures  proper  to  be  pursued  in  their  immediate  admin- 
istration. The  examination  was  held  on  the  ninth.  The 
colonel's  advice  was,  that  an  agent  should  be  dispatched  to 
Oswego  without  delay,  with  suitable  presents  for  distribu- 
tion among  the  Indians,  in  order  to  preserve  their  existing 
good  disposition.  He  stated  that  when  he  first  engaged  in 
the  management  of  the  affairs  of  that  department  their 
sachems  were  chiefly  in  the  French  interest,  and  had  actually 
received  belts  from  them  which  they  had  since  given  up, 
receiving  belts  from  him  in  their  stead,  in  behalf  of  the 
English.  He  believed  that  unless  proper  measures  were 
taken  to  secure  them  in  their  present  favorable  mood,  there 
would  be  great  dissatisfaction  and  danger  resulting  from 
repeated  disappointments.  He  stated  that  the  Indians  had 
been  detained  from  hunting  during  the  whole  year,  by  the 
directions  of  the  governor,  and  were  consequently  in  a  state 
of  destitution, — actually  suffering  for  many  necessaries  for 
themselves  and  their  families.  Should  not  the  necessary 
measures  be  taken  for  their  relief,  he  felt  that  he  himself 
would  be  obliged  to  leave  his  Mohawk  settlement,  and  his 
removal  would  of  course  be  the  signal  for  a  general  flight 
of  the  people  from  that  vallej'^  also.  He  furthermore 
thought  it  of  importance  that  the  English  should  build  a 
fort  in  the  Oneida  country,  and  another  among  the  Sene- 
cas.    The  Indians  would  be  gratified  at  the  adoption  of 

Journals  of  the  council  board. 


"**„ 


296 


LIFE  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


VllL 


1747. 


,?)  V 


CH^.  measures  like  these,  which  in  themselves  would  go  far  to 
secure  their  confidence.  At  the  close  of  his  examination 
the  colonel  made  a  complaint  on  oath  against  several  per- 
sons for  selling  rum  to  the  Indians,  and  the  attorney-general 
was  instructed  to  institute  prosecutions  for  the  oifence.  ^ 

The  commissioners  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and 
New  York  having  closed  their  deliberations,  Mr.  Clinton 
communicated  the  result  of  their  conferences  to  the  general 
assembly  on  the  sixth  of  October.  Long  and  tedious  as 
had  been  the  procrastination,  the  expedition  against  Crown 
Point  and  the  invasion  of  Canada,  was  still  uppermost  in 
the  minds  of  Shirley  and  Governor  Clinton ;  and  the  mes- 
sage announced  a  compact  agreed  upon  by  the  commission- 
ers, for  the  immediate  prosecution  of  the  long-deferred 
enterprise.  By  the  terms  of  that  compact.  New  York  was 
bound  to  have  a  certain  number  of  men  in  readinees  to 
march  on  a  certain  day ;  and  supplies  were  demanded  for 
raising  and  paying  the  levies,  and  for  covering  all  other 
expenses  connected  with  that  service,  save  for  arms,  ammu- 
nition, and  camp  equipage,  which  were  to  be  provided  by 
the  crown.  But  the  season  for  warlike  operations  in  the 
north  had  again  so  nearly  passed  away,  that  it  was  yet  again 
found  necessary  to  defer  the  expedition  until  the  ensuing 
spring.  Nevertheless,  contrary  to  Mr.  Clinton's  wishes, 
and  indeed  against  his  earnest  entreaties,  the  commissioners 
had  concerted  nothing  for  the  security  of  the  frontiers  of 
New  York,  nor  for  the  equally  important  object  of  pre- 
serving the  friendship  of  the  fitful  Indians.  For  both  these 
objects,  therefore,  supplies  were  needed.  Mr.  Clinton 
again  reviewed  the  history  of  his  own  labors  in  the  Indian 
department ; — taking  care  to  mention  that  since  the  treaty 
of  the  preceding  year,  Massachusetts  had  given  presents  to 
the  Six  Nations  to  the  amount  of  one  thousand  pounds, 
and  Connecticut  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred ;  while 
neither  at  the  treaty  referred  to,  nor  since,  had  New  York 
been  put  to  any  expense  for  that  service, — the  whole  having 


iniapi^iivisri 


1  Minutea  of  the  oounoil  board. 


ill 

11^ 


LIVB  OF  Bia  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


297 


been  borne  by  the  orown.  "  But,"  said  his  excellency,  "  I  ^p« 
can  no  longer,  and  will  no  longer,  continue  this  charge  on  *-v— ' 
the  crown."  The  views  of  Colonel  Johnson  were  enforced,  ^^^^' 
especially  his  suggestions  that  forts  should  be  erected  in  thQ 
several  cantons  of  the  Six  Nations.  The  Indians  were  yet 
friendly ;  but  they  had  been  so  frequently  disappointed  in 
their  expectation  that  Canada  would  before  now  have  been 
strongly  invaded  by  sea  and  land,  that  the  most  wiae  and 
efficient  measures  would  be  necessary  for  preserving  their 
confidence.  Although  the  entire  charge  of  the  Indian 
service,  and  the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  would  henoe^ 
forward  devolve  upon  the  colony,  yet  his  excellency  said  hQ 
intended  to  make  an  appeal  to  liie  governmente  of  th^ 
colonies  south,  as  far  as,  and  including  Virginia,  to  cour 
tribute  to  the  expense-^the  public  defence  being  an  object 
common  to  all.  In  conclusion,  after  a  variety  of  sugges- 
tions as  to  the  best  method  of  raising  and  sustaining  the 
quota  of  levies  falling  upon  New  York,  the  message  stated 
that  the  sachems  of  the  Six  Nations  were  then  in  the  city, 
awaiting  the  determination  of  the  house,  conceniing  th^p 
selves  and  what  was  to  be  done  for  them.  They  had  been 
accompanied  by  Colonel  Johnson,  "  whose  name,"  said  the 
governor,  "I  cannot  mention  without  gratefiil  remem- 
brances of  the  services  he  has  done  his  country."  These 
sachems  were  impatient  to  be  gone;  and  the  mjessage 
strongly  urged  upon  the  assembly  the  immediate  adoption 
of  such  measures  as  would  soothe  their  feelings,  and  send 
them  away  with  presents  so  liberal  as  to  be  satisfactory. 

According  to  the  articles  of  the  compact  founded  by  the 
commissioners,  Crown  Point  was  first  to  be  reduced.  The 
number  of  troops  to  be  raised  for  the  expedition,  was  four 
thousand,  exclusive  of  all  the  Indians  who  could  be  brought 
into  the  service.  Of  these  four  thousand  levies,  New 
York  was  to  furnish  twelve  hundred  from  its  own  territory, 
and  four  hundred  more,  to  be  drawn  from  Massachusetts, 
and  paid  for  by  New  York, — bounties,  wages  and  supplies. 
For  the  Indian  service  of  the  campaign,  Massachusette 

88 


"m,  '«^^"t>Hlll^^N<fcn 


■¥#^'' 


208 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  stipulated  to  pay  nine-twentieths  of  the  expense,  Now  York 
w^  eight-twentieths,  and  Connecticut  three.  Every  Indian 
1747.  warrior  was  to  be  equipped  to  the  value  of  five  pounds, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  expedition,  a  present  to  the  same 
amount.  The  three  colonies  were  to  appoint  and  com- 
mission the  three  general  officers  who  were  to  conduct  the 
expedition.  Applications  are  to  be  made  to  the  other  colo- 
nies,  from  New  Hampshire  to  Virginia  inclusive,  to  exert 
themselves  to  the  extent  of  their  ability  in  the  prosecution 
of  the  war,  and  generally  for  the  common  defence.  They 
were  also  to  be  invited  to  send  delegates  to  meet  in  a  grand 
committee  of  conference  at  Middletown,  in  Connecticut, 
in  December.  Meantime  an  application  was  to  be  made 
to  the  crown  to  create  a  diversion  in  Canada  by  sending  a 
large  fleet  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  attack  the  citadel  of 
Quebec  in  accordance  with  the  plan  concerted  two  years 
before.  In  the  event  of  a  refusal  on  the  part  of  ministers  thus 
to  cooperate  in  the  grand  design,  the  colonies  were  to  create 
the  diversion  themselves,  by  fitting  out  such  a  fleet  as  they 
might,  to  act  in  concert  with  such  ships  of  war  as  might 
chance  to  be  cruising  upon  the  American  station.  In  case 
of  a  failure  of  both  branches  of  the  enterprise,  the  first 
three  parties  to  the  agreement,  were  each  to  employ  a 
corps  of  rangers  to  harrass  the  border  settlements  of  the 
enemy,  and  make  war  upon  their  allies,  as  best  they  could 
— ^the  other  colonies  being  invited  to  aid  in  this  description 
of  service  likewise.  In  the  event  of  an  invasion  of  either 
of  the  colonies,  parties  to  the  agreement,  the  others  were 
to  march  to  their  assistance.  The  forces  to  be  directed 
against  Crown  Point,  were  to  rendezvous  at  Albany  as  early 
as  the  fifteenth  of  April  then  ensuing, — 1748.  The  con- 
cluding article  of  the  compact  set  forth  as  a  reason  for  this 
alliance  the  utter  inability  of  the  colonies,  singly,  to  main- 
tain a  sufficient  force  to  guard  so  extensive  a  frontier, — it 
being  five  hundred  miles  in  length.  Already  they  had 
suftered  severely  from  the  repeated  and  frequent  incursions 
of  the  enemy,  the  loss  of  life,  and  the  destruction  of  theh- 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


299 


towns  and  hamlets.    To  put  an  end  to  such  a  harrassing  ^a^. 
species  of  warfare,  the  redaction  of  Crown  Point  was  indis-  s-y— / 
pensable ;  and  the  commissioners  strongly  appealed  to  the  ^'*''* 
other  colonies,  less  exposed  only  because  guarded  and  pro- 
tected by  them,  and  who  were  in  fact  better  able  to  defray 
the  charges  of  this  war  than  themselves,  to  come  to  their 
assistance.    Nothing  could  have  been  more  reasonable  than 
such  an  appeal,  but  its  reception  was  more  cold  than 
redounded  to  the  credit  of  the  parties  directly  appealed  to, 
cither  for  their  patriotism  or  liberality. 

Mr.  Clinton  had  requested  a  speedy  answer  to  his  mes- 
sage communicating  these  important  arrangements,  and  it 
was  given  two  days  afterward  in  a  series  of  resolutions,  in 
part,  at  least,  very  little  to  his  liking.  Although  the  assem- 
bly voted  with  alacrity  for  everything  essential  to  the 
Canadian  invasion,  for  the  defence  of  the  frontier  during 
the  intervening  winter,  and  supplies  for  making  suitable 
presents  to  the  Indians  chiefs  brought  to  the  city  by  Colonel 
Johnson,  yet  among  the  resolutions  were  some  breathing 
a  spirit  of  rank  and  bitter  hostility.  Of  this  description 
was  one  setting  forth  that  although  his  excellency  had  made 
large  drafts  upon  the  crown  for  the  Indian  service  during 
the  preceding  summer,  no  disposition  of  the  avails  had 
been  heard  of.  But  the  importance  of  preserving  the 
alliance  of  the  Six  Nations  was  so  great  that  they  would 
nevertheless  vote  for  the  sum  of  eight  hundred  pounds  for 
that  object,  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  pr<^er  persons  for  dis' 
bursement.  This  proviso  was  but  athinly  disguised  impeach- 
ment of  the  executive  integrity.  In  reference  to  the  build- 
ing of  forts  in  the  Indian  country,  for  the  security  of  the 
women  and  children  and  old  men  while  the  warriors  were 
absent  in  the  service,  the  vote  was  conditional  that  the  other 
colonies  must  share  the  expense.  The  forces  at  Albany 
destined  for  the  defence  of  that  section  of  the  frontier 
(luring  the  approaching  winter,  the  hoilse  was  not  inclined 
to  take  into  pay  unless  their  discharge  should  be  directed 
by  his  majesty.    News  of  the  destruction  of  the  fort  at 


:<n|t» 


LlJB  or  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 

0^.  Saratoga  hot  having  y6t  reached  the  ears  of  the  aBserably, 
V-V-'  it  was  voted  that  that  post  fihould  be  preserved  at  all  events ; 
1747.  j^ti^  ^  resolution  of  censure  was  added  because  the  governor 

had  n<yt  responded  to  the  proeoedings  of  the  house  in  respect 

to  that  fortress,  on  the  ninth  and  eleventh  of  September. 
The  wrath  of  the  governor  was  kindled  by  these  resohi- 

tiotis  to  vehemence  as  mil  sufficiently  appear  by  the  follow- 

iilg  lacdnic  reply : 

"Gentlemen: 

By  your  votes  I  understand  you  are  going  upon  things 
very  foreign  to  what  I  recommended  to  you :  I  will  receive 
nothing  from  you  at  this  critical  juncture,  but  what  relates 
to  the  message  I  last  sent  you,  viz :  By  all  means  imme- 
mediately  to  take  the  preservation  of  your  frontiers,  and 
the  fidelity  of  the  Indians  into  consideration.  The  loss  of 
a  day  may  have  fatal  consequences ;  when  that  is  over,  you 
mfty  have  time  enough  to  go  upon  other  matters. 
'•"I':^"^  o'  ■;•>  M,  ;  ,,,,„    G.  Clinton." 

^'The  ei^ect  of  this  message  was  like  the  casting  of  a  live 
coal  ibto  a  magazine  of  gun-powder.  In  its  consideration 
the  doors  of  the  assembly  were  shut,  locked,  and  the  key 
laid  upon  the  table  in  the  due  and  ancient  form  in  cases  of 
alleged  breaches  of  privilege;  and  a  series  of  resolutions 
was  passed,  nemine  contradicente,  wherein  it  was  declared  to 
be  the  undoubted  right  and  privilege  of  the  house  to  pro- 
ceed upon  all  proper  sulyects  for  their  consideration,  in 
such  order,  method  and  manner  as  to  themselves  should 
seem  most  convenient ; — that  any  attempt  to  direct  or  pre- 
scribe to  the  house  the  manner  in  which  they  must  proceed 
in  their  discussions  of  public  affairs,  was  a  manifest  breach 
of  ihe  rights  of  the  house  and  the  people ; — that  the  declara- 
tion of  the  governor  that  he  would  receive  nothing  from  the 
house  at  that  time  but  what  had  been  recommended  in  his 
message,  was  irregular  and  unprecedented — tending  to  the 
subversion  of  the  rights,  liberties  and  privileges  of  the 
house  and  the  people ; — and  that  whoever  hud  advised  that 
message  had  attempted  to  undermine  those  rights  and 


LIFB  07  Bin  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


801 


privileges,  and  to  subvert  the  conb,  ition  of  the  colony, 
and  was  moreover  an  enemy  to  its  inhabitants.  The  re- 
Bohitions  were  followed  up  immediately  by  an  address,  or 
remonstrance  to  his  excellency,  extending  to  the  great 
length  of  eight  printed  folio  pages,  conceived  in  the  same 
acrimonious  spirit  which  had  indeed  characterized  the  pro- 
ceedings of  both  parties  for  many  months.  It  professed 
to  review  the  whole  controversy  between  the  governor  and 
themselves  from  its  inception,  being  his  excellency's  mes- 
sage of  June  sixth,  1746.  Down  to  that  period,  the  remon- 
strance declared  that  the  utmost  harmony  had  existed 
between  them,  and  their  distractions  had  only  arisen  since 
his  excellency  "  had  thought  fit  to  place  his  sole  confidence 
in  that  person  who  styles  himself  the  next  in  administra- 
tion, and  been  pleased  to  submit  himself  to  his  direction 
and  influence."  This  individual.  Dr.  Golden,  was  bitterly 
denounced.  In  reviewing  the  late  proceedings  both  of  the 
governor  and  themselves,  in  connexion  specially,  with  the 
Indian  affairs,  the  executive  was  severely  censured  for 
taking  the  management  of  those  afiairs  from  the  hands  of 
the  Indian  commissioners  at  Albany,  and  confiding  them 
to  other  individuals,  the  chief  of  whom,  of  course,  was 
Colonel  Johnson.  Much  of  the  ill-feeling  of  the  Indians, 
prior  to  the  treaty  of  1746,  was  attributed  to  the  intrigues 
of  designing  men,  seeking  to  supplant  the  commissioners 
for  interested  and  mercenary  purposes.  Instead  of  the 
course  the  governor  had  pursued  by  the  summary  employ- 
ment of  individuals,  if  dissatisfied  with  the  conduct  of  old 
commissioners,  he  should  have  caused  them  to  be  suspended 
by  new  appointments  issued  in  a  regular  manner. 

This  attack  upon  Colonel  Johnson  showed  very  con- 
clusively that  he  was  at  that  time  in  no  favor  with  his 
relative,  Mr.  DeLancey.  His  excellency  had  repeatedly 
advocated,  in  his  late  messages,  not,  indeed  without  an  air 
of  self-complacency,  to  his  successful  diplomacy  with  the 
Indians,  whereby  he  had  changed  their  policy,  and  defeat- 
ed the  designs  of  the  people  of  Albany,  whose  aim  it  was 


CHAP. 
VIU. 


1747. 


.1 


*$tr 


302 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART< 


1747 


'^fjf-  to  keep  tho  Indians  from  the  war-path,  and  allow  them  to 
maintain  the  position  of  neutrals.  Upon  this  iM)int  tho 
address  avowed  the  opinion,  distinctly,  that  it  would  have 
been  far  better  had  the  Indians  been  left  in  tliat  position. 
His  excellency  had  indeed  told  them  that  the  Six  Nations 
had  engaged  heartily  in  the  war ;  but  tho  house  was  yet  iu 
Ignorance  touching  any^  engagement  in  which  they  had  par- 
ticipated. All  tlie  evidence  of  their  prowess,  which  they 
had  seen,  consisted  in  the  exhibition  in  tho  city,  by  a  small 
party  of  Indians,  of  three  scalps,  and  a  few  French  prisoners. 
Again,  on  the  subject  of  Indian  expenditures,  they  hinted 
at  tho  misapplication  of  funds  said  to  have  been  laid  out 
for  presents ;  and  considering  the  heavy  drafts  upon  tho 
crown  for  this  service  dunag  the  late  summer,  they  intimat* 
cd  a  belief  that  notwithstanding  his  excellency's  call  for 
appropriations,  he  must  have  already  a  considerable  sum  in 
bank.  They  treated  his  excellency's  frequent  expressious 
of  concern  for  tho  welfare  of  the  people  with  ridicule, 
charging  upon  him  and  bis  adviser  the  guilt  of  the  mas« 
sacre  of  Saratoga  in  the  autumn  of  1745,  which  event,  they 
alleged,  cou\'  not  have  taken  place  but  for  the  rash  with- 
drawal of  the  garrison  from  that  place.  Many  other 
charges  of  faults  and  official  delinquencies,  civil  and  mili- 
tary, were  set  forth  and  commented  upon  with  biting  irony. 
They  declared  that  from  a  very  early  time  of  his  adminis- 
tration, he  had  treated  with  contempt  the  people  of  the 
colony  in  general,  and  the  members  of  the  house  iu  par- 
ticular; and  that  he  had  applied  to  them  in  terms  so 
opprobrious  as  to  render  them  unfit  for  publication.  Tliey 
complained  of  the  many  short  and  inconvenient  adjourn- 
ments to  which  they  had  been  subjected,  and  were  par- 
ticularly displeased  that  they  had  not  been  kept  in  session 
during  the  recent  negotiations  with  the  Massachusetts  and 
Connecticut  commissioners,  "  that  they  might  have  been 
daily  advised  with,  and  their  opinions  consulted  from  time 
to  time  as  to  the  matters  under  consideration," — forgetting, 
probably,  in  the  ardor  of  their  patriotism,  that  the  house  of 


i 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   DAKT.  WB 

assembly  was  not  exactly  the  executive  council,  an<l  that  imy. 
by  the  English  constitution  the  treaty-making  power  re»idn.»  ^-^ — 
not  in  the  house  of  commons.    They  thought  it  very  likely  ^''*'- 
his  excellency  had  been  advised  that  the  best  way  to  manage 
an  assembly  was  to  harrass  them  by  frequent  and  short 
adjournments  ;  but  they  assured  him  that  with  them,  such 
a  course  would  bo  vain  and  fruitless.     "  No  treatment  your 
excellency  can  use  toward  us,  no  inconveniences  how  great 
soever  that  we  may  suffer  in  our  own  persons,  shall  ever 
prevail  on  us  to  abandon  or  deter  us  from  steadily  i»re- 
eerving  the  interest  of  our  country." 

This  address  was  reported  by  Mr.  Clarkson,  from  a  com- 
mittee previously  appointed  upon  the  subject,  on  the  ninth 
of  October.  Immediately  upon  its  reading,  the  speaker, 
David  Jones,  was  directed  to  sign,  and  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  Messrs.  Clarkson,  Phillipse,  Thomas,  Cruger, 
Beekman,  Lott  and  Chambers,  were  designated  as  a  com- 
mittee to  present  it  to  his  excellency.  This  duty  was 
promptly  discharged;  but  the  irascible  governor  would 
neither  allow  the  chairman  to  read  it  to  him,  nor  leave  it 
in  his  chamber. 

Three  days  afterward,  before  the  assembly  had  taken  any 
farther  action  in  the  controversy, — unless  a  request  for 
information  as  to  the  state  and  condition  of  the  forts  and 
garrisons  of  Saratoga  and  Oswego  might  be  considered  of 
that  character,^the  governor  sent  lown  a  message  in 
answer  to  the  assembly's  resolutions  of  the  eighth,  almost 
as  long,  and  if  possible,  even  more  vituperative  than  the 
address  of  the  house.  In  the  first  place,  however,  the 
governor  expressed  the  pleasure  he  felt  at  the  ready  appro- 
bation which  the  house  had  given  to  the  compact  of  the 
commissioners  for  the  invasion  of  Canada.  The  scheme 
contemplated  by  that  compact  closely  resembled  the  project 
between  himself,  Mr.  Shirley  and  Sir  Peter  Warren,  the 
year  before ;  and  had  it  then  been  executed  it  would  have 
been  at  the  expense  of  the  crown.  Now,  however,  it  must 
be  done  entirely  at  the  charge  of  the  colonies.    His  excel- 


i.   * 


♦#t' 


804 


Lim  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOIINBON,   BART. 


in 


1747. 


il 


1 


^viiir'  J^J'^^y  was  also  pleased  at  beiug  able  to  annouuco  that  ono 
'  or  more  forts,  by  the  arrangoaicHt  of  the  commigsionors, 
sanctioned  by  the  unanimouK  vote  of  his  council,  wore  to 
})0  erected  at  the  carry ing-placo.  This  expense  also,  would 
fall  exclusively  upon  the  colonies ; — whereas  but  for  tho 
conduct  of  t)io  commissioners  appointed  by  the  house,  in 
regard  to  tho  transportation  of  provisions  and  general  hujv 
plies  for  tho  forces,  those  defences  would  likewise  have 
been  constructed  at  tho  cost  of  the  crown,       -  » 

His  excellency  next  proceeded  to  vindicate  his  own  con- 
duct  from  the  aHpersious  so  frequently  cast  upon  it  in  con- 
nection witli  his  management  of  the  Indian  department, 
and  tho  oft-repeated  insinuation  of  a  misapplication  of  the 
money  drawn  from  the  crown  for  tliat  branch  of  the  service. 
The  house  had  asserted,  in  one  of  its  resolutions  respecting 
this  money,  "  that  no  disposition  thereof  for  the  purpose 
intended  had  yet  been  heard  of."  In  this  resolution,  Mr. 
Clinton  now  charged  the  house  with  uttering  "  as  bold  a 
falsehood  as  ever  came  from  a  body  of  men."  In  vindicu- 
tion  of  himself,  and  in  refutation  of  the  assertion,  tlie  mes- 
sage pointed  to  a  long  chain  of  operations  in  the  Indian 
department,  known  to  them  all,  and  sufficient  to  absorb  a 
very  large  sum,  but  for  which  not  a  shilling  had  been  paid 
by  the  colony.  The  Indians  had  all  been  armed,  clothed, 
and  provisioned  by  him  ;  numerous  war-parties  had  boon 
kept  in  constant  motion,  and  at  one  time  as  many  as  six 
hundred  warriors  were  marching  together. 

The  sei-vices  of  Colonel  Johnson  in  that  department, 
were  adverted  to  in  terms  of  high  praise.  Before  tlu-  /io. 
vernor's  interview  with  the  Indians  at  Albany  the  previout. 
year,  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  prevail  upon  a  dozen  or 
twenty  of  them  even  to  go  forth  upon  a  scout.  Now,  how- 
ever. Colonel  Johnson  engages  to  bring  a  thousand  war- 
riors into  the  iield  upon  any  reasonable  notice.  Through 
his  influence  the  chiefs  had  been  weaned  from  their  intimacy 
with  the  French,  and  many  distant  Indian  nations  were 
now  courting  the  friendship  of  the  English.    As  to  the 


LIFB  07  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAKT. 


805 


mouoy  ho  hud  roceivod  from  tho  crown  I'or  thi«  Hervico,  tlio  cmp. 
govornor  said  ho  wus  in  no  way  accountable  to  thu  Iiouhcs-v^ 
for  itri  application.    Not  having  supplied  a  penny  of  it,  ^^*'* 
they  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.    In  tliiit  uonnection  he 
iuvoighe*'  against  tho  proviso  of  tho  resolution  appropriat- 
ing eight  hundred  pounds  for  tho  Indian  servico,  to  be 
placed  for  dbbursement  in  other  hands  tlmn  those  of  tlxQ 
executive.     This  condition  disclosed  the  motive  for  thie 
slander  against  him,  U  being  nothing  less  than  a  determina- 
tion to  violate  an  undisputed  prerogative  of  the  crown,  and 
to  wrest  his  majesty's  authority  from  tho  executive  hands. 

The  conditional  resolve  concerning  tho  supplies  for  the 
forces  at  Albany,  was  likewise  denounced  a«  an  inteiferenco 
wiih  the  military  prerogative  of  his  qaajesty  ;  in  connection 
with  which  his  excellency  tauntingly  inquired  whether  tho 
honse  had  received  any  advicea  or  orders  from  his  mfyesty, 
or  his  ministers,  upon  the  subject  of  the  army  regulations. 
"The  forces  at  Albany  are  under  my  command  only,"  said 
he;  "and  you  will  never  know  anything  of  his  majesty's 
pleasure  about  these  forces,  but  from  me,  or  from  my  buc- 
cessor."  *  *  *  "His  majesty  will  not  part  with  the 
least  branch  of  his  military  prerogative ;  nor  dare  I,  nor 
will  I,  give  up  the  least  branch  of  it  on  any  consideration, 
however  desirous  you  may  be  to  share  it,  or  to  bear  the 
whole  command'"  In  this  spirit  the  crown  had  sent  him 
orders  relating  to  Saratoga ;  and  wLile  they  knew  that  ho 
was  heartily  inclined  to  do  what  they  desired  of  him  in  that 
matter,  they,  also,  some  of  them,  knew  it  was  impracticable. 

He  had  formerly  told  them  that  the  fort  at  Saratoga  was 
inadequate  for  the  security  of  that  section  of  the  frontier ; 
and  of  what  has  happened  to  it  they  had  been  forewarned, 
unless  proper  assistance  should  be  attbrded  for  its  preserva- 
tion. The  position  of  that  fort  was  unfavorable ;  it  had 
been  maintained  at  great  expense,  and  more  lives  had  been 
lost  by  reason  of  its  disadvantageous  situation,  than  by  any 
other  cause  since  the  war.  It  had  been  placed  there  by 
commissioners  recommended  by  his  council ;  but  it  had 


89 


B"rv, ,     iem^i 


',»'  * 


m-' 


806 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNBOlf,  BABT. 


CHAP,  since  been  discovered  that  their  object  in  selecting  that  site 


vm. 


?:?:■ 


M 


•  was  not  the  protection  of  the  country,  but  of  quantities  of 
1747.  wheat  growing  in  its  neighborhood.  The  work  itself  being 
of  no  substantial  use  as  a  military  position,  and  finding  it 
impossible  longer  to  maintain  it  without  hazarding  the  total 
dissolution  of  the  forces  at  Albany,  the  cannon  and  stores 
had  been  withdrawn  and  the  foitification  destroyed.  In 
addition  to  all  which,  the  conduct  of  the  assembly  itself  had 
compelled  him  to  abandon  the  place  by  their  opposition  to 
every  measure  proposed  by  him  for  its  preservation. 

On  the  subject  of  his  endeavors  to  confine  the  action  of 
the  house  exclusively  to  his  recommendations  for  the  wel- 
fare and  protection  of  the  colony,  especially  in  regard  to 
his  brief  message  of  the  eighth,  his  exceUency  attempted 
a  justification.  His  design  was  simply  to  secure  in  the  first 
instance,  such  action  as  would  guaranty  the  safety  of  the 
province.  There  would  afterward  be  time  enough  for  the 
consideration  of  as  many  other  subjects  as  thoy  could  desire. 
He  taunted  them  sharply  for  what  he  called  the  farce  of 
locking  the  door  and  laying  the  key  with  solemn  form  upon 
the  table, — asking  them  whether  there  were  any  suspicious 
people  without  the  doors  of  whom  they  were  afraid,  and 
whether  they  apprehended  that  any  of  their  own  members 
were  intent  upon  running  away.  If  not, — it  was  really 
an  attempt  to  shut  him  out  so  that  he  could  not  communi- 
cate by  message, — then  the  act  was  a  high  insult  to  the 
royal  authority,  and  for  the  time  being  a  withdrawal  of 
their  allegiance.  He  declared  that  by  their  resolutions  of 
the  ninth,  they  had  assumed  all  the  rights  and  privileges 
of  the  house  of  commons  of  Great  Britain.  Such  an 
assumption  was  nothipg  less  than  claiming  to  be  a  branch 
of  the  legislature  of  the  kingdom,  or  in  other  words  a 
denial  of  subjection  to  the  crown  and  parliament.  He 
reasoned  the  point  to  show  that  it  could  not  be  so ;  the 
supreme  power  had  a  right  to  put  limitations  upon  their 
proceedings;  and  he  tcM  them  not  only  that  these  and 
some  subjects  which  they  had  no  right  to  discuss,  but  that 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  SOESBOTS^  BART. 


807 


"he  had  his  majesty's  express  command  not  to  suflfer  them  chap. 
to  bring  some  matters  into  the  house,  nor  to  debate  upon  v-v— ' 
them."    It  was  for  that  reason  that  the  clerk  of  the  house  l^*^. 
was  required  every  day  to  lay  before  the  governor  the 
minutes  of  their  proceedings,  that  the  governor  may  put  a 
stop  to  them  when  they  become  disorderly  or  undutiful. 

He  reproved  them  for  having  recently  adopted  the  dis- 
respectful and  unmannerly  practice  of  ordering  resolutions 
to  be  served  upon  him  f  :'»m  time  to  time ;  and  censured 
them  severely  for  their  rudeness  on  a  late  occasion,  when, 
within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  they  had  served  him  with 
a  copy  of  their  resolutions  of  the  ninth,  several  of  the 
members  of  their  body  thrust  themselves  upon  him  in  an 
apartment  of  his  own  house,  without  previous  notice  of, 
to  read  "a  large  bundle  of  papers,"  which  they  called  a 
remonstrance  from  the  house.  Every  private  man  in  the 
country  considered  his  own  house  his  castle,  and  his  excel*. 
lency  demanded  whether  their  governor  was  not  entitled 
to  the  same  privilege  ?  Whether  he  must  be  thus  intruded 
upon,  and  bear  it  with  patience  ?  Under  the  circumstances 
of  the  case,  he  had  but  too  much  reason  to  refuse  to  receive 
the  remonstrance ; — and  he  then  gave  them  warning  that 
he  would  never  again  receive  from  them  a  document  in 
public,  which  had  not  first  been  communicated  to  him  in 
private. 

He  reminded  them  of  another  act  of  incivility.  At  the 
opening  of  the  session,  they  had  not,  as  usual,  acquainted 
him  with  their  organization, — an  omission  without  prece- 
dent, and  evidently  by  design.  They  had  resolved  forth- 
with to  enter  upon  the  consideration  of  the  state  of  the 
province,  without  having  received  any  information  as  to 
what  its  condition  was.  They  also  resolved  to  make  a 
remonstrance  upon  the  condition  of  the  colony,  without 
resolving  what  should  be  the  subject  matter  of  the  docu- 
ment,-^-ordering  their  committee  to  draw  it  up  without 
instructions.  That  committee  presented  the  report  so 
soon,  and  the  house  adopted  it  so  hastily,  as  to  preclude 


P 

If 


i.i 


M'^^f  \^p 


308 


LlPH  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHl^SON,  BART. 


cHi^.the  exercise  of  any  rational  judgment  upon  the  Bubjecti 
v_^_^  No  precedents  could  be  found  for  their  conduct,  stive  in  the 
1W7.  course  taken  by  the  house  of  commons  when  they  had 
determined  to  take  away  the  king's  life,  and  overthrow  the 
established  government.  This  allusion  was  certainly  not 
malapropos.  The  same  leaven  was  doubtless  at  work  in 
Clinton's  little  parliament,  which,  in  the  greater,-  had  sent 
the  unhappy  Btuart  to  the  block. 

Various  other  points  of  the  controversy  were  passed  in 
review.  The  house  had  been  insolent  toward  him,  and 
forgotten  all  kind  of  decency  and  regard  for  the  authority 
vested  in  him  by  his  majesty.  They  had  endeavored  to 
deprive  him  of  the  esteem  of  the  people^  They  had 
witholdea  supplies  for  the  public  service ;  and  for  the  pur- 
pose of  justifying  themselves  to  their  constituents,  had 
endeavored  to  induce  a  belief  that  he  had  applied  th6  pub- 
lic tfloney  to  his  awn  use.  To  refute  this  idea  he  now  stated 
that  during  the  few  years  of  his  administration  no  more 
than  one  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds  currency  of  the 
colony  had  paeised  into  his  hands  for  the  Indian  service; 
abd  the  account  he  then  gave  of  the  uses  to  which  the 
mt^ey  had  been  applied,  and  the  benefits  secured  by  its 
e^feAdittire,  when  viewed  at  this  distance  of  time,  proves 
vGry  clearly  that  the  expenditure  was  made  with  wisdom, 
prudence  and  economy.  Upon  this  point  his  excellency 
insisted  thfet  if  they  had  really  entertained  any  suspicions 
of  his  integrity,  they  should  have  instituted  an  investiga- 
tion. Btit  they  had  not  done  so,  although  they  bad  seemed 
to  act  as  though  he  was  the  only  man  in  the  province 
who  could  misapply  the  public  revenues ;  for  more  than 
sixty  thousand  pounds  had  passed  through  the  hands  of 
their  own  commissioners,  while  no  reports  as  to  the  manner 
of  its  disbursement  had  been  exacted,  nor  any  inquiry  made. 
In  a  word  all  the  charges  and  insinuations  of  the  house 
against  the  governor,  were  pronounced  to  be  false,  and  their 
conduct  toward  those  who  had  endeavored  to  support  his 
administration  against  their  opposition,  was  declared  to  be 


tttH  09  SIR  WILLIAM  JOfiNSOlT,  BART. 


809 


1747. 


malicious.    Their  long-continued  unbecoming  conduct,  in  chap. 
the  view  of  his  excellency,  could  arise  but  from  one  of  the . 
following  causes:  ;  Jv^isia^:!^  -lyi  ^.( .:,(:  ?;>  ..u^^^^ 

I.  A  firm  principle  of  disloyalty,  with  a  desire  to  deliver 
the  country  up  to  the  king's  enemies : 

n.  The  desire  of  some  individuals  for  such  a  shameful 
neutrality  as  was  established  in  the  war  of  Queen  Anne's 
time. 

in.  A  design  to  overturn  the  constitution,  and  throw 
everything  into  confusion :       1'  ^2<' «;'w^upt«ji!'>  h1)  cc^i!! 

rV.  The  gratification  of  the  pride  and  private  malice  and 
rancor  of  a  few  men,  at  the  hazard  of  the  lives  and  estates 
of  their  constituents*  It  was  added-— "That  there  are 
such  men  in  this  country,  is  no  secret,  nor  what  share  they 
have  in  your  private  consultations." 

The  governor  then  drew  a  contrast  showing  how  widely 
different  had  bee\  his  conduct  from  their's.  When  he  dis- 
covered that  they  had  fallen  into  a  state  of  unreasonable 
heat  and  passion,  he  had  adjourned  or  prorogued  them, 
that  they  might  have  time  to  cool  down.  And  on  their 
reassembling,  although  he  had  endeavored  to  forget  past 
differences,  they  would  strive  by  every  means  to  revive 
them.  Even  now,  although  they  had  every  just  reason  to 
erpect  the  manifestation  of  strong  resentment  from  him, 
yet  he  was  resolved  to  disappoint  them.  He  therefore  in 
conclusion  again  exhorted  them  to  make  the  proper  pro- 
visions for  the  care  and  safety  of  the  province, — ^admon- 
ishing them,  however,  to  beware  of  attempting  any  mea- 
sures that  might  clash  with  his  instructions  from  the  crown, 
or  infringe  upon  the  royal  prerogative.  "  The  ill  effects  of 
the  condescensions  of  former  governors  of  the  province," 
were  now  too  sensibly  felt  to  justify  any  further  conces- 
sions. 

It  appears  by  the  assembly's  journal,  that  after  referring 
the  message  to  a  committee,  the  house  entered  upon  the 
consideration  of  public  affairs  with  a  commendable  degree 
of  diligence.     On  the   fifteenth   day  of  October  they 


li" '  :,*#*■ 


810 


LITB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON^  BABT. 


!5;    r     :>■ 


GHM.  requested  the  governor  to  execute  one  of  the  projects  agreed 


I  I 


•  upon  by  the  commissioners,  by  sending  gun-smiths  and 
1747.  assistant  artizans  into  the  country  of  the  Six  Nations  among 
all  the  tribes  beyond  the  Mohawks,  pledging  the  ways  and 
means,  in  the  full  confidence,  however,  that  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut  would  defray  their  respective  proportions 
of  the  expense.  On  the  next  day  the  governor  commu- 
nicated a  table  of  estimates  requiring  appropriations  for 
the  winter  service, — stating  that  it  was  his  intention  to 
invite  the  cooperation  of  the  colonies  south  to  the  Caro- 
linas,  for  the  common  defence.  Having  ordered  the  proper 
arrangements  for  the  security  of  the  colony  during  the 
repose  of  winter,  it  was  thought  the  assembly  might  b". 
safely  adjourned — to  be  aroused  into  action  again  in  the 
spring,  when  the  bugle  should  sound  to  arms  for  the  actual 
invasion  of  Canada.   ^M^rimi:^  «  \*fmh  liuwo  '»riris*»Tfr)v  l   r 

But  the  hopes  and  the  high  expectations  of  the  colonies, 
especially  those  of  New  York  and  New  England,  were 
again  dashed  by  disappointment  alike  mortifying  and 
severe.  On  the  nineteenth  of  October,  orders  were 
received  from  the  duke  of  Newcastle,  signifying  the  royal 
approbation  of  the  preparations  made  jointly  by  Shirley 
and  Clinton,  for  the  intended  expedition,  but  nevertheless 
directing  them  to  desist  from  that  expedition,  and  to  dis- 
band all  the  levies  engaged  for  that  service,  retaining  such 
a  number  of  the  New  England  forces  as  might  be  judged 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  Nova  Scotia.  The  colonies 
were  directed  to  pay  oft'  the  levies,  and  transmit  the 
accounts  to  be  reimbursed  by  parliament.  Mr.  Clintou 
immediately  transmitted  these  disheartening  orders  by 
message  to  the  assembly,  with  a  recommendation  that  so 
many  of  the  levies  at  Albany  as  might  be  deemed  neces- 
sary for  the  defence  of  the  north  might  still  be  retained  iu 
the  service,  and  provision  be  made  for  their  subsistence. 
This  suggestion  was  followed  by  a  vote  of  the  assembly  to 
retain  eight  full  companies  at  Albany  until  the  ensuiug 
month  of  August,  if  their  service  should  ''.o  long  be  neces- 


LIFB   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


811 


saty ;  but  in  view  of  the  heavy  expenses  to  which  the  colony  chap- 
had  already  been  subjected  by  the  war,  and  the  almost  <-„^-* 
ruined  condition  of  the  colony,  the  house  felt  itself  obliged  ^^*^' 
to  decline  advancing  either  money  or  credit  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  forces  in  arrears.  With  th  s  exception,  the 
assembly  proceeded  with  apparent  calmness  to  make  just 
and  proper  appropriations  for  various  objects,  such  as  the 
employment  of  a  corps  of  rangers  to  traverse  the  northern 
border,  and  for  repairing  sundry  forts.  Appropriations 
were  also  voted  for  divers  other  matters,  among  which  was 
one  for  the  completion  of  the  governor's  house.  But  the 
calm  was  short,  if  not  delusive,  and  the  storm  directed 
against  the  executive  broke  out  on  the  twenty-sixth  of 
October  with  unabated  violence.  It  appears  that  two  days 
before  that  date,  it  being  on  Saturday,  the  governor,  by  a 
written  order  under  his  own  hand,  had  forbidden  Mr.  James 
Parker,  printer  to  the  assembly,  to  publish  in  the  journals 
of  that  body  the  celebrated  remonstrance  of  the  ninth,  of 
which  a  copious  analysis  has  already  been  given.  Parker 
had  refused  to  recognize  the  validity  of  a  verbal  order  to 
the  same  eflfect,  communicated  by  his  excellency's  secretary, 
Mr.  Catherwood ;  and  this  written  mandate  he  was  required 
to  publish  in  his  newspaper,  which  he  accordingly  did  on 
Monday  morning, — ^together  with  the  paragraph  contained 
in  the  governor's  message  of  the  thirteenth,  wherein  his 
excellency  had  charged  the  committee  of  the  house,  bearing 
the  said  remonstrance,  with  obtruding  themselves  rudely 
into  a  private  apartment  of  his  domicil.  Chafed  at  this 
arbitrary  mandate  to  Parker,  and  smarting  yet  fipom  the 
imputation  cast  by  the  governor  upon  the  committee,  Mr. 
Clarkson  rose  in  his  place  on  Monday,  and  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  house  to  the  contents  of  the  newspaper.  The 
publication  having  been  read,  Mr.  C.  proceeded  to  relate, 
and  his  colleagues  of  the  committee  to  confirm,  the  history 
of  the  transaction  in  question.  The  committee  "  knocked 
at  the  outward  door,  and  told  the  servant  who  attended, 
that  they  had  a  message,    Retiring  into  an  inner  room,  the 


*^*(?* ' 


812 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLI4M  JOHNSON,  BART. 


1747 


CHAP,  servant  soon  returned,  accompanied  by  a  gentleman,  who 
^  showed  them  into  the  presence  of  the  governor,  by  whom 
the^  were  received  without  any  manifestation  of  displeasure. 
They  informed  hie  excellency  that  they  came  as  a  commit- 
tee of  the  house  with  a  remonstrance,  which  they  offered 
to  read ;  but  his  excellency  refused  either  to  hear  it,  or 
even  to  allow  them  to  read  it,  upon  the  ground  that  such 
a  procedure,  without  the  presence  of  the  speaker,  was  not 
parliamentary.    The  next  step  was  to  order  the  attendance 
of  Parker  at  the  bar  of  the  house,  to  produce  "the  original 
order  from  the  governor,  a    copy  of  which  had  been 
published  in  his  newspaper.    This  being  done,  resolutions 
were  passed  declaring  that  the  attempt  to  prevent  the  pub- 
lication of  their  proceedings,  was  a  violation  of  the  rights 
and  liberties  of  the  people,  and  an  iniringement  of  their 
privileges ;  that  the  remonstrance  was  a  regular  proceeding ; 
that  the  governor's  order  was  unwarrantable,  arbitrary  and 
illegal,  a  violation  of  their  privileges,  and  of  the  liberty  of 
the  press,  and  tending  tp  the  utter  subversion  of  all  the 
rights  and  liberties  of  the  colony ;  and  that  the  speaker's 
order  for  printing  the  remonstrance,  was  regular  and  con- 
sistent with  his  duty."  ^    Parker  preferred  to  identify  his 
fortunes  with  those  of  the  popular  party,  rather  than  to 
obey  the  behest  of  the  crown,  as  expressed  by  its  repre- 
sentative.    The  governor's    order   was    therefore   disre- 
garded, and  ihe  remonstrance  printed  as  directed  by  the 
house.     The  controversy  was  maintained  with  increasing 
intensHy,  for  many  days ;  in  the  course  of  which  the  house, 
in  order,  doubtless,  as  much  to  reassert  its  own  power  as 
to  annoy  the  governor,  directed  Parker  to  reprint  the  offen- 
sive document,  and  furnish  each  member  with  two  copies 
thereof, — "that  their  constituents  might  know  it  wad  theii- 
firm  resolution  to  preserve  the  liberty  of  the  press." 

But  while  these  proceedings  were  yet  in  progress,  the 
governor  startled  the  assembly  by  a  message  announcing 
that  he  might  find  it  necessary  to  detauh  large  bodies  of 


!  smiih,  vol.  ii.  pp.  182,  1-33.    Ytdo  also  journals  of  the  colonial  assembly. 


LIVE  09  SItt  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


318 


olonial  aBsembly. 


the  militia  for  the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  and  requiring  chap. 
a  contingent  appropriation  to  meet  the  expense.  Thiswy-^ 
species  of  service  was  not  only  burdensome,  but  particu-  ^^*'^' 
larly  irksome  tx)  the  people,  and  the  house  was  thrown 
into  fermentation  by  the  requisition.  The  message  was 
referred  to  a  committee  which  a  week  afterward  reported 
in  substance,  that  they  were  amazed  that  his  excellency 
should  have  sent  them  such  a  message,  since  he  had  so 
recently  given  them  to  understand  that  he  should  rely 
upon  the  levies  already  at  Albany  for  the  public  defence  ; 
for  the  pay  and  subsistence  of  whom  the  house  was  even 
then  taking  the  necessary  measures.  In  conclusion  the 
oommittee  avowed  the  belief  that  while  his  excellency  was 
governed  by  such  unsteady  and  ever-varying  counsels, 
and  while  he  continued  to  send  them  messages  conceived 
in  such  doubtiul  and  ambiguous  terms  as  had  of  late 
marked  his  communications  to  them,  it  would  be  di£icult 
to  r.-ake  such  provision  for  the  defence  of  the  frontiers  as 
seemed  necessary.  Nevertheless  it  was  acknowledged  to 
be  their  duty  to  adopt  such  measures  as  the  exigency  of 
the  case  appeared  to  require. 

This  report  had  no  sooner  caught  the  eye  of  the 
governor  while  examining  the  copy  of  the  assembly's 
journal  as  presented  for  his  inspection  by  the  clerk,  than 
he  turned  the  tables  upon  his  opponents,  and  demonstrated 
beyond  doubt  the  factiousness  of  their  cause.  He  first 
reminded  them  of  their  vote  upon  his  message  of  the 
nineteenth  of  October,  refusing  to  pay  the  arrears  of  the 
levies.  They  had  indeed  voted  to  retain  eight  companies 
of  the  levies  et  the  north,  but  not  upon  the  terms  sug- 
gested in  his  message,  viz:  the  continuance  of  full  pay; 
instead  of  which  they  had  cut  the  officers  and  subalterns 
down  to  less  than  one  half  of  the  compensation  allowed 
upon  the  regular  military  establishment.  Upon  these 
terms  it  was  not  to  bo  expected  that  the  levies  would 
remain  in  the  service.  Indeed  men  fit  to  serve  ought  not 
to  remain.    And  he  begged  the  assembly  to  consider 

40 


i 


I'  ■»■ 

I' If 'I 


814 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


I     r 


*7in''  what  would  be  the  condition  of  things,  were  the  levies  to 
'— y— '  disband  themselves  and  return  to  their  homes,  unpaid  and 
^^^^'  without  clothes, — leaving  the  notliern  frontier  entirely 
uncovered.    As  to  the  charge  of  vascillation  in  hie  couu- 
oils,  the  governor  said  they  must  necessarily  vary  with 
changes  of  circumstances ;  but  in  the  present  instance  it 
was  the  conduct  of  the  assembly  alone  that  had  caused  the 
variation.    Still  duty  required  him  to  do  all  in  his  power 
to  avert  the  mischiefs  arising  from  theii  conduct,  and  also 
to  take  care  of  the  people.      ■.  nt  ■^thmi'm  >tft;iv*u  -\  ft  Am  i, 
The  assembly  rejoined  in  a  bad  spirit,  reiterating  the 
charge  of  inconsistency  against  the  governor,  and  accusing 
him  of  pursuing  measures  purposely  intended  to  cause  the 
disajSection  and  desertion  of  the  levies,  that  a  plausible  pre- 
text might  thereby  be  a£[brdedfor  wantonly  harrassiug  the 
poor  people  of  the  colony  by  dragging  them  into  the 
military  service.    Under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case, 
therefore,  they  had  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  to  retain 
the  levies  would  now  be  impossible,  and  that  as  a  conse- 
"^      quenoe  immediate  provision  must  be  made  fon  raising  a 
sufficient  number  of  volunteers  for  the  public  defence. 
The  committee's  report  was  concurred  in  nemine  contra- 
diaente;  and  on  the  fifth  of  November  resolutions  were 
passed  directing  the  employment  of  eight  hundred  volun- 
teers, for  two  hundred  and  seventy  days  service,  and  appro- 
priating the  sum  of  eighteen  thousand  pounds  for  their 
subsistence.     Contemporaneously  with  this  procedure,  the 
house  waa  notified  by  the  legislative  council  that  they  had 
passed  its  bill  for  the  supply  of  the  eight  full  companies 
of  levies  already  at  Albany,  as  heretofore  mentioned. 
This  scheme  however,  having  been  virtually  abandoned 
by  the  house,  a  resolution  was  adopted,   declaring  the 
impracticability  of  retaining  those  eight  full  companies  of 
levies  in  the  service,  and  praying  the  governor  to  issue 
warrants  for  raising  thirteen  companies  of  volunteers  of 
sixty  men  eaich,  with  the  promise  of  commissions  to  those 
who  should  actually  recruit  them,  at  the  reduced  rates  of 


LtfB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


815 


compensation  to  which  his  excellency,  in  respect  to  the  chap. 
retent'on  of  the  levies,  had  objected,  as  being  altogether v..^.^ 
inaCoiiUate  to  the  employment  of  respectable  men.  A  ^'^*^' 
committee  of  which  Colonel  Schuyler  was  chairman, 
waited  upon  his  excellency  with  this  resolution,  but  he 
declined  answering  it.  Three  days  afterward,  to  wit  on 
the  tenth  of  November,  the  assembly  deputed  another 
committee  to  wait  upon  his  excellency,  and  inform  him 
of  their  apprehensions  that  the  river  navigation  to  Albany 
would  close  before  the  necessary  winter  supplies  for  the 
forces  at  the  north  could  now  be  sent  up,  and  praying  his 
assent  to  the  subsistence  bill,  which,  having  passed  both 
houses,  now  awaited  only  his  signature  to  become  a  law. 
But  his  excellency,  like  Richard,  was  "busy,"-— preparing 
despatches  as  he  alleged,  for  Boston, — and  would  receive 
no  message  £rom  the  house  otherwise  than  at  the  hand  of 
their  speaker.  On  the  thirteenth,  the  request  was 
renewed  by  a  formal  address  presented  by  the  house  in  a 
body — the  speaker  of  course  being  at  their  head.  From, 
the  reply  of  his  excellency,  it  appeared  that  his  reluctance 
to  sign  the  bill  in  question,  had  arisen  from  an  objectiona- 
ble principle  involved  therein.  He  had  on  two  previous 
occasions  given  his  assent  to  bills  involving  the  same 
principle,  and  had  been  censured  at  home  for  so  doing. 
His  excuse  to  the  crown  had  been  the  pressing  necessity 
of  the  public  service,  and  he  hoped  the  same  excuse 
would  avail  again,  as  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  sign 
the  bill.  He  took  occasion,  moreover,  to  admonish  the 
house  in  regard  to  the  bill  for  the  pay  of  the  forces  to  be 
raised,  then  pending,  not  to  incorporate  in  its  provisions 
any  thing  that  might  in  anywise  interfere  with  the  preroga- 
tives of  the  crown.  The  bill  thus  specially  referred  to, 
authorized  the  raising  of  the  sum  of  twenty-eight  thou- 
sand pounds,  by  a  direct  tax,  for  the  military  service, 
and  the  like  sum  by  an  issue  of  bills  of  credit,  with  pro- 
visions for  sinking  and  cancelling  the  same.  In  closing 
his  reply,  the  governor  farther  informed  the  house  that 


«♦?■' 


816: 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1747. 


I 


^v^'  *^^®  officers  of  the  four  companies  of  fusi leers  stationed  nt 
'Albany  had  notified  him  that  for  the  want  of  supplies 
they  were  on  the  point  of  dissolution.  At  ^  *^i,!i,»)<  ,!, 
.  On  the  twenty-fifth  of  November  his  excellency  com- 
manded the  attendance  of  the  house  in  the  council 
chamber,  when  he  approved  the  bill  for  victualling  tlio 
forces  and  also  the  important  revenue  bill  just  spoken  of. 
Two  other  bills  of  minor  importance,  likewise  received 
his  excellency's  signature;  whereupon,  finding  that  the 
controversy  in  which  he  had  so  long  been  engaged  with 
the  assembly  had  evidently  become  past  healing, — indeed 
that  on  the  contrary  the  breach  was  daily  becoming  wider 
and  yet  wider, — the  general  assembly  was  dissolved.  His 
excellency  commenced  his  speech  announcing  the  disso- 
lution, by  referring  to  the  votes  of  the  house  in  the  case 
of  Parker.  He  maintained  that  their  remonstrance,  of 
which  he  had  forbidden  the  republication  from  the  jour- 
nals in  Parker's  newspaper,  was  a  false,  scandalous  and 
malicious  libel  upon  him  throughout;  and  he  therei'oro 
had  a  right,  for  the  protection  of  his  own  character,  to 
inhibit  the  publication  of  a  document  surcharged  with 
falsehood,  as  they  very  well  knew  it  to  be.  As  to  the 
popular  out-cry  which  they  had  attempted  to  raise  about 
the  liberty  of  the  press,  he  said  it  was  a  liberty  very  liable 
to  be  abused,  and  against  which  there  ought  to  be  a 
remedy.  Nor  could  the  application  of  a  proper  remedy 
be  considered  a  restraint  upon  a  just  degree  of  liberty. 
He  charged  them  with  a  design,  as  was  obvious  from  their 
whole  course,  to  usurp  the  supreme  authority  of  the 
government,  and  in  support  of  the  charge  the  governor 
again  entered  upon  a  summary  review  of  the  conduct  jf 
the  assembly,  rehearsing  its  sins  both  of  omission  .',nd 
commission.  Among  the  former,  he  observed  hat 
notwithstanding  the  frequency  and  earnestness  of  his 
appeals  to  them  for  the  Indian  service,  and  the  importance 
of  preserving  the  existing  amicable  relations  with  the 
Confederates,  the  assembly  had  not  made  the  slightest  pro- 


LIVE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


817 


K>j,:l,t*}i'i  ;!i 


vision  for  that  object.     Tho  house  had  complained  that  he  chap 
had  kept  secret  from  tlfera  tlio  orders  he  had  received  for  w^-* 
discharging  the  forces  intended  for  the  Canada  expedition  ^'*'' 
until  the  hour  had  arrived  for  their  execution.    His  reply 
to  this  charge  was  an  ample  justiticatiou  of  his  course. 
It  was  necessary  to  keep  those  orders  from  the  knowledge 
of  the  enemy  lest  advantage  should  be  taken  of  them,  and 
tho  frontiers  invaded,  before  tho  necessary  preperations 
could  be  made  for  their  defence.    Ho  had,  however,  given 
them  timely  notice  of  what  was  to  happen ;   and  had  the 
suggestions  he  had  made  to  them  been  seasonably  acted 
upon,  the  object  of  security  could  have  been  attained  at 
an  expense  forty  thousand  pounds  less  than  what  would 
now  be  the  cost  to  the  colony.    In  reviewing  his  own 
exertions  for  the  public  defence,  and  his  endeavors  to  pre- 
serve a  force  at  Albany  so  large  as  to  render  drafts  upon 
the  militia  unnecessary,  his  excellency  charged  upon  the 
assembly  the  design  of  usurping  the  command  of  tlie 
militia,  and  with  having  passed  resolutions  calculated  to 
produce  disobedience  to  orders,  and  which,  iu  fact,  had 
produced  such  disobedience.    Their  refusal  to  pay  the 
arrears  of  the  forces  on  the  credit  of  the  king,  showed 
what  little  regard  they  had  either  foi  his  majesty  s  pleasure, 
or  forthe  ir*erest8  of  those  who  had  willingly  exposed 
their  lives  for  the  defence  of  the  country.    It  was  now 
well  known,  that  had  his  advice  been  followed  in  the  first 
instance,  a  sufficient  number  of  the  levies  might  have  been 
retained  at  Albany.    Equally  well  was  it  now  known  that 
the  necessary  force  could  not  now  be  readily  obt&xaed. 
The  consequence  was  that  by  the  advice  of  his  council  he 
should  now  be  obliged  to  apply  to  some  of  the  otlier  colo- 
nies for  assistance.    Other  points  were  raised  in  the  speech 
which  have  become  familiar  in  the  history  of  this  protract- 
ed controversy.    Even  now,  in  one  of  the  bills  to  which 
he  had  just  placed  his  signature,  they  had  inserted  a  clause 
that  would  very  likely  defert  its  object.    Pie  referred  to  a 
section  placing  the  provisions  and  ammunition  for  the 


818 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JODNBON,   BART. 


1747. 


*^'-  public  aervico  under  the  exclusive  control  of  persona  of 
their  own  nomination,  without  consulting  the  govenior  in 
the  appointment  of  those  persons, — they,  too,  having  it  in 
their  power  to  control  any  order  which  the  governor 
might  give  I  He  had  been  compelled  by  the  public  danger, 
to  sign  that  bill,  though  contrary  to  the  express  instruc* 
tions  of  the  crown.  In  a  word,  they  had  done  all  thoy 
could  to  traduce  his  character;  to  encourage  disobcdi- 
ence ;  to  inflame  the  passions  of  the  people ;  and  to  para- 
lyze his  exertions  for  the  safety  of  the  province.  Ncurtlio 
close  of  the  speech  the  following  passage  occurs,  which 
was  true  beyond  a  doubt :         •'"         '     -  -  '."*^'      '  •■■  • 

"  Your  continued  grasping  for  power,  with  an  evident 
tendency  to  the  weakening  of  the  dependency  of  the 
province  on  Great  Britain,  accompanied  with  such  notori- 
ous and  public  disrespect  to  the  character  of  your 
governor,  and  contempt  of  the  king's  authority  intrusted 
with  him,  cannot  be  hid  longer  from  your  superiors,  but 
must  come  under  their  observation,  and  is  of  most  dan- 
gerous example  to  your  neighbors." 

Knowing,  therefore,  that  great-numbers  of  the  inhabit- 
ants disapproved  of  their  proceedings,  and  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  them  an  opportunity  of  vindicating  their 
loyalty  to  their  prince,  as  well  as  their  love  of  country, 

his  excellency    declared  the  general  assembly  to  be  dis- 
solved.'        -*■-. ••■.■-       ....■,....,.  ,,„    ,,,....,.,.    .,„ 

This  act  appears  to  have  come  somewhat  suddenly  upon 
the  ap-^embly,  a  committee  having  at  the  time  been 
engaged  in  the  preparation  of  another  address  to  liis 
excellency,  similar  in  tone  and  character  to  the  late  remon- 
strance, but  much  larger,  and  more  elaborpte.  The  disso- 
lution having  prevented  the  house  from  giving  an  official 
impress  to  the  document,  it  was  shortly  afterward  publish- 
ed in  the  form  of  "  A  letter  from  some  of  the  represent- 
atives in  the  late  general  assembly  to  his  excellency  the 
governor,  in  answer  to  his  message  of  October  thirteenth, 
and  to  his  dissolution  speech."    This  document  comprised 


Lira  OF  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    UAKT. 


819 


1747. 


a  very  extended  review  of  the  whole  controvei'Hy  between  chap. 
the  parties,  dwelling  upon  euch  and  every  particular  point  • 
with  exceeding  minuteness,  and  evidencing  considerable 
powers  of  reasoning  and  analysis.     There  was  no  abate- 
ment in  the  bitterness  of   its  tone,  either  toward  the 
governor,  or  his  chief  confidential  advisor,  Doctor  Colden. 
IJut  from  the  historical  sketch  already  given  of  the  con- 
troversy, no  necessity  exists  for  a  synopsis  of  this  formid- 
able paper — sufficient,  of  itself,  to  fill  one  hundred  pages 
of  an  ordinary  octavo.    Smith  attributes  the  authorship 
to    Judge    Horsmanden, — Doctor     Colden    being    also 
charged  with  the  composition  of  his  excellency's   state 
papers.    These  suppositions  were  probably  correct.     In- 
deed Mr.  Horsmanden    had  been    summarily  degraded 
from  his  station  for  his  officiousness  in  this  respect ;  and 
Doctor  Colden  had  entered  several  protests  upon  the 
journals  of  the  legislative  council,  bearing  strong  family 
resemblances  to  the  papers  bearing  the  signature  of  Mr. 
Clinton.    Among  these  was  a  protest  against  a  bill  from 
the  assembly,  which  passed  the  council  on  the  third  of 
November,  instituting  a  committee  to  examine  the  public 
aocnnnts  of  the  colony  from  the  y  .ir  1713.     The  doctor 
protested  against  this  bill,  first,  as  being  an  infringement 
upon  the  royal  prerogative.  The  moneys,  he  asserted,  had 
been  raised  for  the  service  of  the  king,  and  his  majesty,  or 
his  representative,  had  therefore  an  undoubted  right  to 
appoint  the  persons  charged  with  the  proposed  exami- 
nation, especially  in  regard  to  their  expenditure,  whereas 
the  governor  had  not  even  been  consulted  as  to  the  per- 
sons constituting  the  commission.     Secondly,  the  commis- 
sioners named  were  merchants.    As  the  revenues  were 
in  a  great  measure  raised  from  duties  and  imposts,  he  held 
that  a  mercantile  com  mission  was  improper.     The  reve- 
nues from  those  sources  were  not  half  as  much  as  they 
would  be  if  honestly  collected.    These  commissioners,  if 
merchants ,  could  connive  with  their  friends  for  the  conceal- 
ment of  fravids.    Other  ejjceptions  were  taken  to  the  details 


^•1 


u 


'1 

I 

^ 

1 

i 

■  i 

"~"~'"-'i'rt1'fcl,ii,',[|ll|^, 


*.l 


820 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


°"iif'  ^^^^^  l>ill  >  t>ut  those  just  mentioned  are  the  most  important. 
»— v-'  The  doctor  also  protested  against  a  bill  from  the  assembly 
^^*^'  cancelling  certain  bills  of  credit,  together  with  the  special 
revenue  bill  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  upon  the  old 
ground  of  collision  with  the  kingly  prerogative.  The  last 
mentioned  bill  it  was  averred  was  specially  objectionable 
because  it  usurped  the  executive  power  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  troops  and  officers,  and  provided  for  the  disburse- 
ment of  money  from  the  treasury  without ,  the  governor's 
warrant. 

Although  from  a  very  early  date  in  the  history  of  this 
protracted  controversy,  it  became  inexcusably  personal,  yet 
it  is  not  diliioult  to  perceive  that  it  was  in  reality  one  of 
principle.  On  the  one  hand,  the  infant  Hercules,  though 
still  in  his  cradle,  was  becoming  impatient  of  restraint. 
The  yoke  of  colonial  servitude  chafed  the  necks,  if  not  of 
the  people,  at  least  of  their  representatives.  The  royal 
governor  was  not  slow  to  perceive  what  kind  of  leaven  was 
fermenting  the  body  politic ;  and  hence  he  became  perhaps 
over-jealous  in  asserting  and  defending  the  prerogatives  of 
his  master.  Doubtless  in  the  progress  of  the  quarrel  there 
were  faults  on  both  sides.  Of  an  irascible  and  overbearing 
temperament,  and  accustomed  in  his  profession  to  com- 
mand rather  than  to  persuade,  he  was  ill  qualified  to  exer- 
cise a  limited  or  concurrent  power  with  a  popular  assembly 
equally  jealous  of  its  own  privileges  and  of  the  liberties  oi' 
the  people;  watching  with  sleepless  vigilance  for  every 
opportunity  to  circumscribe  the  influence  of  the  crown ; 
and  ready  at  every  moment  to  resist  the  encrouohments  of 
arbitrary  power.  Still,  however  patriotic  the  motives, 
under  the  promptings  of  DeLancey,  their  opposition  to 
Mr.  Clinton  became  factious ;  and  it  is  not  difficult  even 
for  a  republican  to  believe  that  he  was  treated  not  only 
with  harshness,  but  with  great  injustice,  especially  in  regard 
to  his  measures,  and  his  personal  exertions  for  the  public 
defence  and  the  prosecution  of  the  war. 
But  the  principles  for  which  Hambden  bled,  and  Sidney 


LIFB  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


321 


died  on  the  scaffold,  were  striking  deeper  root  in  British  chM' 
America  every  day, — an  additional  proof  of  which  fact,  w„r-' 
not  easily  to  be  misunderstood,  was  manifested  about  this 
time  by  a  transaction  at  Boston.  Time  immemorial  the 
ciown  had  claimed  the  right  in  periods  of  war,  of  raising 
and  equipping  its  fleets  by  impressing  the  ships  of  mer- 
chants, and  seamen  to  man  them.  In  the  feudal  ages, 
indeed,  the  claim  had  been  asserted  much  farther,  and  the 
right  of  impressment  exerted  in  respect  to  every  descrip- 
tion of  force,  as  the  public  service  required,  including  even 
the  njembers  of  the  medical  profession.  *  But  with  the 
growth  of  a  permanent  national  marine,  the  impressment 
of  merchant  ships  could  only  be  necessary  as  transports, 
and  the  practice  had  been  parrowed  down  to  the  employ- 
ment of  press-gangs  for  the  procurement  of  common 
Bailors,  Fortified  by  the  opinions  of  the  law-oflBioers  of 
the  crown,  the  ministers  had  repeatedly  asserted  the  right 
of  extending  the  right  of  this  odious  practice  to  the  colo- 
nies. The  claua,  however,  had  been  uniformly  resisted 
by  the  people,  and  nowhere  more  strenuously  than  in  Vir- 
ginia,— ^held  at  the  time  to  be  the  most  loyal  of  the  pro- 
vinces. Indeed  it  was  in  Virginia,  that  the  first  act 
of  resistance  to  the  practice  was  made,  and  in  every 
instance  in  which  the  right  was  attempted  to  be  put  in 
exercise,  the  oflicersof  the  crown  were  defeated  by  popular 
interposition. '  No  experiment  of  the  kind,  however,  had 
as  yet  been  made  in  New  England;  and  the  honor  of  the 
first  attempt,  and  of  experiencing  a  signal  defeat,  was 

'It  appears  from  Bymer's  Faedera,  that  king  Henry  Y,  in  1417.  authorized 
John  Morstede,  to  press  as  many  surgeons  as  he  thought  necessary  for  tho 
French  'expedition,  together  with  persons  to  make  their  instruments.  It  ia 
also  true,  and  appears  in  the  same  book  of  records,  that  with  the  army  which 
won  the  day  fit  Aginopurt,  there  hni  landed  only  one  surgeon,  the  same  John 
Morstede,  who  indeed  did  engage  to  send  fifteen  more  for  the  army,  three  of 
which,  however,  ware  to  act  as  archers !  With  such  a  professional  scarcity, 
what  must  have  been  the  state  of  the  wounded  on  the  day  of  battle  T— 
j4mfr«Mi«'i  Oreat  Britain. 

'  Qrahame, — who  says  that  Franklin  was  the  first  writer  by  whom  its  |i(de« 
i'ensiblc  injustice  was  demG^stratsd. 

41 


I 


m 


'%\ 


'* 

1 

I 

;                         if 
t 

■ 

1 

; 

'^^1 

■  1        i 

822 


LIFB  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  reserved  for  Commodore  Knowles,  then  governor  of  Cape, 
v«^,w  Breton,  and  the  successor  of  Sir  Peter  War-en  in  the  naval 
1747.  command  of  the  American  station.  Visiting  the  waters  of 
Massachusetts  with  his  squadron,  and  lying  at  Kantasket 
ahout  the  middle  of  November,  the  commodore  lost  a  num- 
ber of  his  sailors  by  desertion,  the  places  of  whom  he 
determined  to  supply  by  a  vigorous  act  of  impressment  in 
Boston.  Detaching  a  number  of  boats  to  the  town  at  an 
early  hour  in  the  morning,  a  sweep  was  made  of  all  the 
seamen  found  on  board  the  vessels  lying  at  the  wharves, 
and  also  of  a  number  of  ship  carpenters,  with  their  appren- 
tices, together  with  several  landsmen.  The  act  was  execut- 
ed with  such  suddenness  that  the  men  were  far  down  the 
bay  m  their  way  to  the  fleet,  when  the  transaction  had 
become  generally  known  to  the  people.  But  icAenlpiown, 
such  a  popular  fermentation  ensued  as  had  vnver  before 
taken  place  in  Boston.    All  classes  of  the  p  were 

greatly  excited ;  but  the  rage  of  the  lower  clas .  .  ^ewno 
bounds.  Siezing  whatever  arms  they  could  find,  spears, 
clubs,  pitchforks  and  guns,  the  mob  rushed  together,  deter- 
mined upon  vengeance,  or  a  rescue,  or  both.  A  lieutenant 
of  the  fleet  falling  first  within  their  power,  was  siezed,  and 
would  have  been  treated  with  violence  but  for  the  inter- 
position of  the  speaker  of  the  provincial  legislature,  then 
in  session,  who  assured  the  multitude  that  this  ofiicer  had 
not  been  concerned  in  the  transaction.  The  next  move- 
ment of  the  mob  was  directed  against  the  house  of  the 
governor,  Shirley,  who  was  at  the  very  time  entertaining 
several  captains  of  the  fleet.  Of  these  officers  the  rioters 
resolved  to  demand  satisfaction,  and  the  house  was  speedily 
surrounded  by  the  infuriated  legion.  The  officers  within 
doors  being  supplied  with  fire-arms,  determined  to  defend 
themselves,  and  there  would  doubtless  have  been  a  serious 
efiusion  of  blood,  had  not  a  number  of  the  more  consider- 
ate citizens  insinuated  themselves  among  the  rioters,  and 
dissuaded  them  from  the  commission  of  actual  violence. 
Among  the  peace-officers  on  duty  was  a  deputy  sheriff, 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNPON,  BART. 


823 


who  was  irreverently  siezed  and  borne  off  to  the  stocks,  chap. 
with  the  practical  use  of  which  invention  he  was  made  ^-v-' 
acquainted,  both  his  legs  being  made  fast  therein.    There  ^^*^* 
was  a  dash  of  the  ludicrous  in  this  exploit,  of  the  "  sove- 
reigns," creating  merriment,  and  serving  for  a  while  to 
moderate,  though  it  did  not  appease  their  anger.     The 
deepening  of  the  twilight  into  night,  however,  was  a  signal 
for  renewed  outrages,  and  the  deliberations  of  the  legisla- 
ture, or  general  court,  as  it  was  called,  were  disturbed  by 
the  breaking  of  their  windows,  and  other  riotous  proceed- 
ings.   The  governor,  with  several  distinguished  gentlemen 
and  counsellors,  ascended  to  the  balcony,  whence  they 
addressed  the  people  in  the  most  soothing  and  considerate 
manner, — rebuking  their  turbulence,  it  is  true,  but  at  the 
same  time  expressing  strong  disapprobation  of  the  outrage 
of  which  they  complained,  and  promising  their  utmost 
exertions  to  obtain  the  discharge  of  every  man  who  had 
been  kidnapped  and  carried  away.    But  the  tempest  was 
not  to  be  thus  easily  hushed,  and  the  arrest  and  detention 
of  every  officer  of  the  squadron  in  town,  was  demanded  as 
the  only  measure  that  would  answer  the  purpose.    Such 
being  the  temper  of  the  populace,  it  was  judged  advisable 
that  the  governor  should  withdraw  from  the  scene  of 
tumult  to  his  own  house, — to  which  he  was  accompanied 
by  several  officers,  civil  and  military,  and  also  by  a  small 
party  of  personal  friends.    Meantime  it  was  bruited  that  a 
barge  had  come  up  to  the  town  from  the  fleet,  whereupon 
the  rioters  rushed  headlong  to  the  wharf  to  sieze  it.    The 
report  was  not  true,  for  no  such  barge  had  arrived.    Yet 
the  populace  thought  otherwise,  and  a  huge  boat,  lying  at 
the  dock,  belonging  to  a  Scotch  merchantman,  was  taken 
by  mistake,  and  drawn  through  the  street,  as  though  no 
heavier  than  a  birchen  canoe.    It  Was  at  first  resolved  to 
kindle  a  bonfire  with  this  unlucky  craft  in  front  of  the 
governor's  house ;  but  a  suggestion  that  lighting  a  fire  there 
would  jeopard  the  town,  the  mob  drew  away,  and  indulged 
their  heated  design  in  a  place  of  greater  security.    Thus 


824 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSOIT,  BART. 


CHAK  ended  the  proceedings  of  the  first  aa;> .     On  the  next,  tlie 


via. 


'  governor  ordered  the  militia  under  arms  for  the  prcsei'vatioQ 
1747.  of  the  peace ;  but  the  drummers  were  interrupted  in  beat- 
ing to  arms,  and  the  militia,  with  a  surprising  degree  of 
ucanimity,  refused  to  parade.  Several  of  the  British  offi- 
cers on  shore  had  been  siezed  by  the  populace,  by  whom 
they  were  retained  as  hostages.  Of  this  number  was  Cap- 
tain Erskine,  of  the  Canterbury.  He  was  taken  in  Roxbury. 
but  was  speedily  liberated  on  giving  his  parole  not  to  go  on 
board  until  the  difficulty  should  be  adjusted.  Such  being  tlio 
temper  of  the  people, — ^the  entire  militia  refusing  obedience 
to  their  officers, — it  was  thought  expedient,  as  well  for  the 
personal  security,  as  for  the  power,  of  the  governor,  whose 
authority  was  thus  virtually  suspended,  that  he  should 
retire  to  the  castle — ^Fort  William.  From  this  place  Mr. 
Shirley  wrote  to  Commodore  Knowles,  informing  him  of 
the  high  exasperation  into  which  the  people  had  been 
thrown  by  his  proceedings,  and  urging  an  immediate 
releaso  of  the  persons  impressed,  as  the  only  means  of 
restoring  the  public  tranquility.  But  the  commodore 
declined  even  to  entertain  the  proposition  until  those  of 
his  officers  who  had  been  caught  on  shore  should  be  liberat- 
ed* The  first  suggestion  of  Knowles  was  to  land  a  body 
of  marines  to  aid  the  governor  in  quelling  the  disturbances; 
but  Shirley  was  too  wise  a  man,  and  understood  too  well 
the  character  of  the  New  England  people  to  second  such  a 
proposition.  The  commodore  thereupon  became  enraged, 
and  threatened  to  burn  the  town, — directing  at  the  same 
time  certain  movements  of  his  ships  which  for  a  few  hours 
caused  much  uneasiness.  During  the  eighteenth  and  nine- 
teenth days  of  the  month  the  town  was  under  the  entire 
control  of  the  mob, — the  general  court  feeling  reluctant  to 
interpose,  even  for  the  preservation  of  order,  lest  their 
action  should  be  construed  as  favoring  the  conduct  of 
Knowles.  The  provocation  had  been  great ;  and  although 
the  prevailing  spirit  of  insubordinatioh  was  indefensible, 
yet  it  was  regarded  by  every  American  with  greatly  miti- 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WlLLIAtf  JOHIiTSON,  BART. 


825 


gated  displeasure.    Still,  the  danger  of  allowing  the  town  chap. 
longer  to  remain  under  the  sway  of  an  infuriated  populace,  »-v— » 
and  the  impropriety  of  leaving  the  governor,  whose  con-  *^*^' 
duct  had  not  only  beer  wise  and  patriotic,  but  blameless, 
thus  unsupported,  was  perceived  before  the  close  of  the 
day  last  mentioned,  and  a  series  of  resolutions  was  adopted 
by  the  house  of  representatives,  strongly  condemning  the 
tumultuous  proceedings  of  the  people ;  pledging  themselves, 
their  lives  and  estates,  to  sustain  the  executive  authority ; 
but  at  the  same  time  declaring  that  they  should  put  forth 
their  utmost  exertions  to  redress  the  grievances  which  had 
provoked  the  riots.    Simultaneously  with  this  procedure 
the  council  passed  an  order  for  restoring  Captain  Erskine 
and  the  other  officers  in  actual  custody,  to  their  liberty, 
and  declaring  them  to  be  under  the  protection  of  the  gov- 
ernment,— ^which  order  was  conr^urred  in  by  the  house  of 
representatives.    These  measures  had  the  eflfect  of  allaying 
the  excitement,  and  the  rioters  soon  began  to  disperse.    A 
town  meeting  was  holden  in  the  afternoon ;  and  although 
it  was  urged  by  the  less  discreet  portion  of  the  assemblage 
that  a  suppression  of  the  tumults  would  have  the  effect  of 
enitouraging  his  majesty's  naval  commanders  in  the  com* 
mission  of  similar  outrages  in  future,  yet  the  counsels  of 
the  more  prudent  prevailed,  and  the  town,  by  solemn  vote, 
condemned  alike  the  riotous  proceedings  of  the  people, 
and  the  injury  and  insult  by  which  those  proceedings  had 
been  provoked.    Not  anticipating  so  favorable  a  turn  of 
affairs,  so  soon,  the  governor  had  made  preparations  for 
calling  to  his  assistance  the  provincial  troops  of  the  circum- 
jacent towns,  horse  and  foot ;  but  on  the  following  morning 
the  militia  of  Boston  paraded  spontaneously,  and  many 
citizens  were  in  arms  who  had  seldom  been  seen  in  arms 
before.    In  the  course  of  the  day  the  governor  was  escorted 
from  the  castle  back  to  his  house  with  great  parade,  and 
law  and  order  resumed  their  wonted  sway.    Commodore 
Knowles  dismissed  all,  Cx  nea  ly  all,  the  subjects  of  the 
impress,  and  sailed  for  Louisburg,  to  the  great  and  irre- 


fi 


j 


,*#»* 


826 


LIFB  07  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


OH^.  pressible  joy  of  the  people.*    But  his  sovereign  had  little 


ii.;l 


VIII. 

N-v^  cause  to  thank  him  for  an  act  which  awoke  a  spirit  that 
^^*''  slumbered  not  until  the  richest  jewel  was  torn  from  his 
diadem,  i^.r);:^  /.Moin/ :.;■  rifii-^tni'tt  wr*fi  .'jut*  wm  i-,*, •.'.;'(' 
There  remains  little  more  to  be  written  of  the  border 
troubles  of  New  York  during  the  year  1747.  Small  parties 
of  the  enemy  ontinued  to  hover  about  the  new  settlements 
until  the  dspth  of  winter,  and  several  additional  murders 
were  committed.  One  of  their  autumnal  forays  Was  me- 
lancholy and  bloody.  A  party  of  woodmen,  engaged  in 
cutting  timber,  abjut  four  miles  west  of  Schenectady,  was 
fallen  upon,  and  tt  irty-nine  of  their  number  killed.  Along 
the  confines  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  these 
murders  or  assassinations  were  yet  more  frequent  during 
the  autumn  than  in  New  York.  Skirmishes  between  the 
enemy  and  the  borderers,  were  common,  and  in  one  of 
these  a  French  officer  of  some  consideration,  named  Pierre 
Bamboert,  waa  wounded  and  taken.^ 

Late  in  November,  Governor  Clinton  pressed  the  com- 
mand of  the  northern  frontier  upon  Colonel  Johnson. 
The  people  were  strongly  in  favor  of  that  appointment  ^  and 
it  was  ultimatelj  accepted.  But  aside  from  this  command, 
the  colonel  had  full  employment  upon  his  hands  for  the 
winter,  independently  of  his  Indian  charge.  The  militia 
of  Albany  county,  then  embracing  all  the  northern  and 
western  settlements  beyond  Ulster  and  Dutchess,  had  fallen 
into  a  state  of  sad  demoralization ;  and  to  Colonel  John- 
son Mr.  Clinton  entrusted  the  duty  of  effecting  a  complete 
reorganization.  All  confidence  was  reposed  in  him; 
and  in  the  removal  of  incompetent  officers,  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  new  ones,  his  word  was  law.  "  Send  down  a  list 
immediately,  of  those  you  think  proper,  and  look  upon  it 
as  done."  * 

I  Hutchinson.    Orahamo. 

« Hoy t'g  Antiquities.  '  ■     ;-j      i  .  . 

.    *  Manuscript  letter  of  Jacob  Olen. 

*  l^anuscript  letter ;  Major  Rutherford,  of  the  ezeoutlTe  council,  to  Colonel 
Johnson. 


r.  ijj{  ,?r'i^KT!oi  "fj,hn-n  rt:<i  qo  a--n,i 


i^tl. 


>iW   7*;  i.-.lV' 


/ 


>!-•?' 


CHAP- 


i .  ftrf  .!! '•:(.■)(! >ij[t  iti-r  j//(hj"*/ 
ban  ."fiifib.'i/itKfvli/m  f .,.  M  -',-    .-  ,-•}.>;  ^i|il.>->Tirr,j  vffty..  •({,•.-. 

,'ms^Umiumu     CUA'PTEU   IX.      :^-,;n(v     ton-;'. 

Colonel  Johnson  bad  now  become,  through  his  owu  tact 
and  the  influence  of  Governor  Clinton,  a  prominent  man  "'vl 
ir.  the  affairs  of  the  colony.  In  Februaiy,  he  accepted  the  ^^^ 
command  of  the  New  York  colonial  troops  for  the  defence 
of  the  frontiers — ^a  circumstance  which  affords  another 
proof  of  the  high  favor  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  gov- 
ernor. Though  still  continuing  the  traffic  in  furs,  and  by 
no  means  neglecting  his  mercantile  pursuits,  he  devoted 
himself  more  assiduously,  not  only  to  political  matters,  but 
also  to  the  management  of  the  Indian  department  over 
which  he  had  for  the  last  two  years  had  the  control. 
Becoming  favorably  known  both  to  the  colony  and  the 
British  government,  he  now  assumed,  as  better  suited  to 
Ms  improved  standing,  more  dignity  in  his  appointments, 
his  manner  of  living,  and  his  intercourse  with  the  Indians. 

It  was  about  this  period,  although  I  have  not  been  able 
to  learn  the  exact  date,  that  Colonel  Johnson  employed  as 
his  housekeeper,  Mary  Brant,  or  Miss  Molly,  as  she  was 
called,  a  sister  of  the  celebrated  Indian  chief  Thayendane- 
gea,  with  whom  he  lived  until  his  decease,  and  by  whom  he 
had  several  children.^    This  circumstance  is  thus  mentioned 

1  That  Molly  Brant  was  not  the  wife  of  the  Baronet,  is  fully  proved  by  his 
last  will,  (published  in  appendix  to  vol.  ii.)  in  which,  after  desiring  to  have 
the  "remains  of  his  beloved  wife  Catherine,"  interred  beside  him,  he  cpeaks 
of  the  "children  of  ir  y  present  housekeeper,  Mary  Brant,"  as  his  "natural 
children."  It  is,  however,  but  justice  to  Molly  Brant,  to  state  that  she 
always  regarded  herself  as  married  to  the  Baronet  after  the  Indian  fashion. 

The  traditions  of  the  Mohawk  valley  state  that  the  acquaintance  of 
Cobnel  Johnson  with  Molly,  hacT  a  rather  wild  and  romantic  commencement. 
The  story  was,  that  she  was  a  very  sprightly  and  a  very  beautiful  Indian 
girl  of  about  sixteen,  when  he  first  saw  her.    It  was  at  a  regimental  militia 


:l 


¥#>, 


828 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


h 


I  . 


.-•11 


CHAP,  by  Mrs.  Grant  in  her  entertaining  book.     "  Becoming  a 
^-v— '  widower  in  the  prime  of  life,  ha  connected  himself  with  mi 
1748.  Indian  maiden,  daughter  to  a  sachem,  who  possessed  an  un- 
commonly agreeable  person  and  good  understanding ;  and 
whether  ever  formally  married  to  him  according  to  our  usage 
or  not,  continued  to  live  with  him  in  great  union  and  aft'ec- 
tion   all  his  life."    Colonel  Johnson  himself  repeatedly 
speaks  of  '  'a  Indian  lady  in  his  private  journal.    During 
■w     his  expedition  to  Detroit  entries  occur  in  which  he  speaks 
of  having  received  news  from  home,  and  of  having  written 
0  Molly.    He  always  mentioned  her  kindly.     Thus  under 
date  of  Wednesday,  October  21st,  1759,  he  writes: »  'f*' 

"  Met  Sir  Robert  Davis  and  Captain  Etherington,  who 
gave  me  a  packet  of  letters  from  General  Amherst.  Cap- 
tain  Etherington  told  me  Molly  was  delivered  of  a  girl  and 
all  were  well  at  my  house,  where  they  stayed  ten  days." 

Molly,  as  has  already  Leen  stated,  was  the  sister  of 
Thayendanegea,  and  both,  according  to  the  account  in  the 
London  Magazine  of  1776,  the  earliest  printed  testimony 
upon  the  subject,  were  the  grand-children  of  one  of  the 
Mohawk  chiefs,  who  vipited  England  aalf  a  century  before. 
That  her  father  was  a  chief,  several  authorities  have  like- 
wise been  cited  to  show ;  to  which  may  be  added  Allen's 
Biographical  Dictionary,  where  tl^e  fact  is  positively  as- 
serted.'  ■  -  :.i...,U J    .u.-w    ,;>,-,,    ,..»;■.;,  y      ...    II  i,t...;4  ivj 

By  thus  formiiig  ah  alliance  with  the  family  of  an  influ- 

muster,  where  Molly  was  one  of  »  multitude  of  speotatora.  One  of  the  field 
officers  coming  near  her  upon  a  prancing  steed,  by  way  of  banter  she  asked 
permission  to  mount  behind  him.  Not  supposing  she  could  perform  the 
exploit,  he  said  she  ought.  At  the  word  she  leaped  upon  the  crupper  with 
the  agility  of  a  gazelle.  The  horse  sprang  off  at  full  speed,  and,  dinging 
to  the  officer,  her  blanket  flying,  and  her  dark  tresses  strean'ing  in  the  wind, 
she  flew  about  the  parade  ground  swift  as  an  arrow,  to  the  infliiite  merriment 
of  the  collected  multitude.  The  colonel,  who  was  a  witness  of  the  spectacle, 
admiring  the  spirit  of  the  young  squaw,  and  becoming  enamored  of  her  per- 
son, brought  her  to  his  house. 

>  President  Allen  was  conQeoted  by  marriage  with  the  family  of  the  late 
President  Wheelook,  and  has  had  excellent  opportunities  for  arriving  at  the 
probable  truth.  „ 


LIfB  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JO"  !80N,  BAET. 


829 


ential  and  powerful  chieftain,  Colonel  Johnson  evidently  chap. 
aimed  at  a  more  extended  influence  over  the  Indiana.    Kor  ^-v^ 
did  the  result  disappoint  him ;  for  in  this  alliance  and  in  ^^*^' 
his  custom  of  mingling  among  them  in  his  £uniliar  way, 
is  doubtless  to  be  found  the  secret  of  his  extraordinary 
ascendency  over  the  fickle  red  men  of  the  forest. 

Meantime  a  new  assembly  had  been  chosen,  which  the 
governor  met  upon  the  twelfth  of  February.  The  election, 
however,  had  made  but  few  changes  in  the  composition  of 
that  body ;  all  the  former  leaders  being  returned,  and  Mr. 
Jones  consequently  again  presented  for  his  excellency's 
approbation  as  speaker.  The  opening  speech  of  the 
governor  was  conciliatory.  He  announced  that  the  conven- 
tion agreed  upon  between  the  commisnioners  of  New  York, 
Mbssachusetts  and  Connecticut,  had  been  ratified  by  the 
first  and  last  mentioned  of  those  colonies,  and  hj  the  legis- 
lature of  Massachusetts,  with  the  exception  of  a  single 
article,  which  his  excellency  did  not  conceive  to  be  ver) 
material.  The  place  of  the  cordon  of  rangers  provided 
for  by  that  article,  the  governor  thought,  could  be  supplied 
by  strong  parties  of  Indians.  Notwithstanding  the  aborti\'  e 
effects  of  the  two  preceding  years  to"  achieve  the  invasion 
of  Canada,  and  the  strangely  vascillating  conduct  of  the 
ministry  upon  this  important  subject,  measures  to  that  end 
were  agftin  proposed,  and  the  necessary  means  suggested, 
with  as  much  confidence  as  though  there  had  been  no  disr 
appointment.  The  disbanding  of  the  forces  at  Albany  had 
necessarily  discouraged  the  Indians,  who  had  regarded  the 
measure  as  a  want  either  of  courage  or  strength,  and  the 
French  had  not  been  slow  to  avail  themselves  of  the  oppor- 
tunity again  to  sow  the  seeds  of  disafl'ectioa  among  them — 
particularly  the  Senecas  and  Onondagas.  Measures  were 
therefore  advised  for  regaining  the  hearty  cooperation  of 
their  people.  The  death  of  Mr.  Bleecker,  long  the  govern- 
ment interpreter  in  its  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  and  the 
appointment  of  Arent  Stevens  in  his  place  waa  annoimced. 
The  government  was  indebted  to  Colopel  Johnson  for 

42 


*#f'' 


880 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


o^p.  various  advances  of  money,  nnd  he  had  given  notice  that 
«— ^w  such  was  the  increased  cost  of  provisioning  the  garriaon  of 
^^*®'  Oswego,  that  he  could  no  longer  perform  that  service  with- 
out an  advance  upon  the  terms  of  his  contract  of  two  hun- 
dred pounds  per  annum.     The  fortifications  of  Albany  need- 
ed repairs,  and  several  of  the  forts  were  short  of  ammunition. 
The  attention  of  the  assembly  was  also  called  to  the  fact 
that  no  provision  had  been  made  at  the  last  session  for 
paying  the  salaries  of  the  officers  of  the  governme'it. 
Other  suggestions  connected  with  the  public  service  were 
made  in  the  speech,  one  of  which  was  the  employment  of 
a  smith  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians  at  Oswego.    Finally 
he  recommended  that  they  should  make  immediate  pro- 
vision for  rewarding  those  Indians  who  had  acted  as  scouts 
for  transporting  the  new  levies  to  Albany,  victualing  them 
in  the  Mohawk's  country,  removing  cannon  from  Saratoga 
to  Albany,  and  also  for  the  salary  of  a  commanding  officer 
to  the  troops  raised  by  the  province. 

It  would  appear  that  the  dissolution  of  the  assembly  had, 
for  a  time,  at  least,  produced  a  better  state  of  feeling  in 
the  new  assembly  than  in  the  previous  one.  The  answer 
of  the  council  was  moved  by  Chief  Justice  DeLancoy ;  that 
of  the  assembly  was  reported  by  Mr.  Clarkson ;  and  both 
were  conceived  in  a  better  spirit,  and  couched  in  much 
more  respectful  language  than  had  been  usual  for  some 
time  past.  In  the  address  of  the  house  to  the  governor 
upon  the  eighteenth,  the  assembly  assured  his  excellency 
of  their  readiness  to  enter  immediately  upon  the  consider- 
ation of  the  different  matters  which  he  had  submitted  to 
them,  and  to  make  provision  for  such  supplies  as  were 
essential  to  the  well  being  and  security  of  the  colony.  Two 
days  afterward,  however,  as  if  they  feared  that  they  had 
conceded  too  much,  and  wished  therefore  to  counteract  it 
by  thwarting  the  favorite  scheme  of  the  governor,  the 
committee  of  the  whole  on  his  speech,  reported  it  as  their 
opinion,  that  to  follow  out  the  plan  proposed  by  Massachu- 
setts, would  be  contrary  to  the  purposes  of  the  agreement, 


LITB  or  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAM. 


881 


11 


and  therefore  that  the  house  ought  not  to  accede  to  the  chap. 
alteration.  wv-* 

The  temper  of  the  aagembly,  however,  as  before  remarked,  ^'**' 
was  much  more  tractable ;  and  at  this  sitting,  several 
resolutions  were  passed  in  favor  of  repairing  the  dif- 
ferent fortifications  along  the  frontiers,  stationing  a  larger 
garrison  at  Oswego,  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  gun- 
smiths stationed  among  the  Indians,  paying  the  rangers 
employed  as  scouts,  building  block  houses,  and  other  plans 
of  a  like  character.  Two  hundred  pounds  were  also  voted 
to  Colonel  Johnson,  for  the  extraordinary  charges  to  which 
he  had  bee.i  subjected  in  supplying  the  garrison  of  Oswego 
with  provisions,  and  an  appropriation  made  for  the  payment 
of  the  salaries  of  the  officers  fx  the  govemiuent,  but  to 
which  was  attached  "  a  reward  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  to  Mr.  Horsmanden,  for  his  late  controversial  labors, 
under  the  pretext  of  drafting  their  bills,  and  other  public 
service."*  :■"■''■    .  ;  •     i:'"-"  ■  ■■.    ,"■•'  ••  ••  • 

The  most  important  act  of  the  session,  however,  was  an 
appropriation  of  two  hundred  pounds  per  annum  for  the 
compensation  of  an  agent,  to  reside  in  the  parent  capital, 
to  solicit  in  the  concerns  of  the  jolony.  The  appointment 
of  such  an  agent  had  been  previously  recommended ;  and 
though  successful  at  last  by  a  unanimous  vote,  it  might  not 
have  been,  but  from  the  design  of  the  house  to  employ  an 
agent  who  should  be  under  its  own  direction,  and  whose 
office,  at  least  in  part,  should  be  to  thwart  the  views  of  the 
governor  at  home.  The  enactment  was  so  shaped  as  cau- 
tiously to  deprive  the  governor  even  of  a  concurrent  power 
in  making  the  appointment ;  and  indeed  the  agent,  Robert 
Charles,  was  named  and  his  first  instructions  actually 
given,  a  few  hours  before  the  house  was  summoned  into 
the  presence  of  the  governor  to  witness,  previous  to  the 
adjournment,  his  assent  to  the  bills  that  had  been  passed. 
These  instructions  are  in  part  inscribed  upon  the  journals 
of  the  assembly ;  while  another  portion  may  be  found  in 


'  Journals  of  the  ooloaial  uaembly,  Smith  Hist.  New  York. 


*»#■" 


882 


Lira  OF  sra  william  johnson,  bart. 


oHAy.  the  appendix  to  the  Bccond  volame  of  Smith,  being  h  letter 

*-.y_»to  Charles  from  the  Hponker,  JoncH.     Thoy  will  he  found 

17M>  to  sustain  the  opinion  already  advanced,  viz :  that  the  ugcDt 

was  to  he  the  instrumeut  of  the  aasombly  against  the 

goyc       ^Ft         'lfn«'|'^'     I't    "tt 'lit    (>•    t>»i*«!if     f.'i,/   ^  *nf^i\[tr>(r 

This  course  of  action  has  been  attribnted  to  a  desire  on 
the  part  of  the  DeLancey  family  to  supplant  Mr.  Clinton 
with  the  viow  of  bringing  Bir  Peter  Warren  into  the  execu- 
tive chair ;  and  color  is  given  to  the  suggestion  by  the  I'act 
that  Mr.  Charles  was  enjoined  ''  in  the  execution  of  liiu 
instructions,  always  to  take  the  advice  of  Six  Peter  Warren 
if  in  England."^  DeLancey,  the  chief  justice,  was  like- 
wise ambitions ;  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he  might  have 
cherished  such  a  design  in  favor  of  his  brother-in-law; 
but  I  have  found  no  evidence  that  Sir  Peter  Warreoi  him- 
self was  ft  party  to  any  such  intrigue.  Why  should  he 
have  been  t  The  measure  of  his  naval  glory  was  full.  He 
was  now  a  member  of  the  imperial  parliament,  in  the 
ei^oyment  of  a  princely  estate,  and  withal  in  a  bad  state 
of  health.  The  governorship  of  the  colony  of  New  York, 
therefore^  could  have  been  no  object  with  him,  even  should 
he  be  able  to  compete  with  success  against  the  I^ewcastlo 
interest  by  which  Mr.  Clinton  waa  sustained. 


)<(i  ;'"''ji:ir 


-i:. 


.1  ".    ''\  U„iit  J«.  ;t;':H'''>-i'  r-- 


.  1' 


Meanwhile  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Katlons,  true  to  their 
wavering  character,  upon  hearing  that  the  expedition 
against  Canada  had  been  given  up,  had  become  exceedingly 
discontented.  Added  to  this,  an  express  arrived  at  !New 
Yojrk  on  the  serenteenth  of  Febmrary,  bearing  advices  to 
the  governor  irom  Colonel  Johnson  of  an  alarming  nature. 
Intelligence  had  been  recently  brought  in  by  scouts,  60 
Johnson  wrote,  that  an  expedition  was  fitting  out  in  Cana- 
da against  the  settlements,  but  whether  the  blow  was  to 
fall  upon  Albany,  Schenectady,  or  the  Mohawks,  could  not 
be  ascertained.  Advices  were  ftl»o  received  on  the  twenty- 
second,  from  Lieutenant  Lindesay,  the  commanding  officer 


>  Letter  of  Speaker  Jones  to  Mr.  Charles,  April  9th,  1748. 


LITI  OF  8IK  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   DAM. 


338 


,i 


at  Ogwftgo,  stating  that  his  Bcoiits  reported  that  a  Frenrh  cH^r. 
army  was  inarching  to  attack  that  post.  The  whole  »,fc>,^_, 
country,  but  especially  the  border,  was  kept  in  a  state  !«'•*'' 
of  great  terror  for  several  days.  Nor  was  the  panic  con- 
fined to  the  sparsely  peopled  settlements.  It  extended 
to  Albany,  and  so  great  was  the  feur  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, that  Colonel  Schuyler  ordered  into  the  city  for 
its  defence,  several  companies  of  the  militia,  who  were 
quartered  in  the  neighboring  districts.'  While  affairs  were 
in  this  harrassing  state.  Colonel  Johnson  wrote  to  Governor 
Clinton  that  the  governor  of  Canada,  through  the  uiBtru- 
mentality  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  was  pressing  upon  the 
Six  Nations  warm  invitations  to  visit  him  in  Montreal,  and 
by  every  means  in  his  power  w  endeavoring  to  seduce 
those  Indians  from  their  alliance  with  ti  >  English.  Nor 
had  these  artifices  been  entirely  witi  out  effect,  for  the 
Indians,  espeoiall;'  the  Onondag.  ■  were  already  vavering, 
and  were  even  now  manifest!  \g  larming  symptoms  of 
defection.  '* 

In  this  exigency,  the  governor,  at  the  suggestion  of  Shir- 
ley, immediately  wrote  to  Colonel  Johnson,  directing  him 
to  proceed  forthwith  into  the  Indian  country  attended  by  a 
strong  guard.  The  note  of  preparation  for  this  visit  is 
given  in  the  following  letter: 


i'\ 


i, 


;tf,inr  CoUmd  Jobmm  io  Otptcdn  CcUherwood— (Extract.) 

..>,   ,.,..  I, ..I  ,.  (,,   :  ,;   ,  , .  "Albany,  April  9,  1748. 

U  «        )|>        «        )|i 


*  *  *  I  rm  80  mnch  hurried  with  settling 
my  affairs  before  i  g  >,  that  I  declare  I  have  not  time  to 
write  a  line.  I  intend  to  set  off  next  Thursday  from  my 
house,  with  a  g^  ■  wd  of  fifty  men.  Captain  Thomas  Butler, 
and  Lieutenant  Laurie,  officers.  We  shall  have  a  fatiguing 
journey  of  it,  and  I  reckon  pretty  dangerous ;  for  I  am 
informed  by  Hendrik's  son,  that  the  French  at  Cadaracqui, 
having  heard  of  my  intention  by  Jean  Cceur,  were  quite 
uneasy  at  the  news,  and  said  they  would  pa-event  iti — an 


'Manuscript  lett«r  Colonel  Schuyler  to  Governor  Clinton. 


-»n«>ni(|iniiinHM^^^il,i^,^ 


''^:^ 


884 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BhRT. 


CHAP,  attempt  which  I  think  very  likelj,  as  it  would  be  of  great 
s-^  consequence  to  them.  The  worst  of  it  is,  we  must  march 
1748.  fQj,  above  one  hundred  miles  on  foot  to  go  through  all  their 
castles  by  the  way,  in  order  to  talk  to  some  of  the  most 
obstinate  of  them  privately  before  the  meeting,  which  is 
the  only  way  I  could  ever  find  to  gain  a  point  with  this 
sort  of  people.  I  reckon  I  shall  have  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
to  overset  all  that  the  French  have  been  doing  since  last 
fall.  However,  I  shall  leave  no  stone  unturned  to  accom- 
plish what  I  go  at,  either  by  fair  or  foul  means,  for  if  they 
are  obstinate,— I  mean  the  Onondagas,"— -I  shall  certainly 
talk  very  harsh  to  them,  and  try  what  that  will  do.  I  hope 
to  return  in  about  three  weeks,  (if  nothing  extraordinary 
happens,)  when  I  trust  I  shall  be  able  to  give  his  excellency 
an  agreeable  account  of  my  progress.  I  also  hope  his 
excellency  will  not  omit  writing  to  me  if  anything  of  con- 
sequence occurs.  It  will  be  the  time  to  hear  good  news 
when  among  them  all,— especially  of  an  expedition  going 
on,  which  would  cheer  up  all  their  drooping  spirits.  If 
the  governor  and  Governor  Shirley  intend  to  comesoon^  it 
would  be  very  proper  to  give  me  timely  notice,  in  order  to 
prepare  the  Indians  for  a  meeting.  I  hope  the  assembly 
will  not  be  so  unconscionable  as  to  expect  I  should  take  the 
command  of  these  companies  without  a  salary.  But  I  leave 
that,  and  the  affair  of  the  regiment  entirely  to  his  excel- 
lency and  you,  to  do  as  you  think  proper  against  I  come 
back.  As  to  the  latter,  I  assure  you  it  is  in  a  bad  way,  as 
also  is  the  watch  of  Albany." 


.  i  1^. '.(!.' i-' 


•;ii  i 


i    ■.y\i)i"n{ 


V  The  orders  given  to  Colonel  Johnson  were,  to  erect 
forts  for  the  protection  of  the  Indian  womeu  and  children ; 
and  by  the  judicious  distribution  of  presents,  to  arrest 
this  defection,  and  thus  counteract  the  insidious  influ- 
ence of  the  Jesuit  priests.  The  governor  farther  direct- 
ed him  "  to  keep  the  Indians  with  some  Christians  contin- 
ually engaged  in  skirmishing  and  in  hostile  acts  against 
the  enemy;"    hoping  that  in  this  manner  the  Indians 


LIFE  OP  SIK  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


885 


might  be  led  to  forget  their  dissappointment.^    But  these  chap. 
were  not  the  only  objects  aimed  at  in  this  journey.     Colo-  w,,— ' 
nel  Johnson  was  moreover  particularly  instructed  to  ascer- 1''*^* 
tain  the  temper  of  the  Six  Nations  towards  the  English; 
and  if  possible  persuade  their  sachems  to  attend  a  grand 
council  to  be  held  shortly  at  Albany  ft  a  time  not  as  yet 
designated. 

Upon  the  reception  of  these  orders,  a  council  of  all  the 
chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  Six  Nations  was  summoned  by 
Colonel  Johnson  to  meet  him  around  the  central  council 
fire  at  Onondaga ;  and  it  appears  to  have  been  pretty  well 
attended.    Whatever  of  doubt  or  distrust,  moreover,  the 
colonel  might  have  previously  entertained  as  to  his  proba- 
ble reception,  he  certainly  had  no  cause  of  complaint 
upon  that  head.    Being  the  bearer  of  presents  to  a  consi- 
derable amount,  in  goods  and  provisions,  which  were  neces- 
sarily transported  by  bateaux,  his  advance  was  slow.    In- 
deed the  assemblage  at  Onondaga,  had  been  well  nigh 
dissolved  the  day  before  his  arrival,  from  sheer  hunger. 
But  the  colonel  was  well  received  at  all  the  castles  on  the 
route,  and  his  arrival  at  Onondaga,  on  the  twenty-fourth 
of  April,  was  greeted  by  the  display  of  English  colors  and 
a  salute  of  fire-arms,  which  was  returned  by  his  guards. 
He  was  attended  by  the  principal  chiefs  to  a  large  house 
prepared  for  his  reception,   spread  with  new  mats,  and 
three  others  of  their  bark  houses,  were  appropriated  to 
his  attendants.    In    about    an  hour  afterwards  all  the 
sachems  of  the  Confederacy  waited  upon  the  colonel  in  a 
body,  and  welcomed  him  in  a  general  speech,  delivered 
by  an  Onondaga  sachem  named  Gan-ugh-sa-dea-gah, — 
"  thanking  the  Great  Spirit  that  he  had  been  spared  to 
come  among  them  at  this  bloody  time."    They  apologized 
for  the  "  miserable  poor  condition"  in  which  he  had  found 
them,  owing  to  the  fact  that  by  the  directions  of  the 
English  they  had  now  been  kept  two  years  from  their 
hunting,  in  the  expectation  of  being  employed  upon  the 
I  Manuaoript  letter  ftom  tioveruor  Clintoo  to  Colonel  Johnson. 


I 


if 


^'"-^^^Wk 


^* 


886 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


1748, 


CHAP,  war-path, — "  and  that"  said  the  sachem,  "  all  for  nothing, 
'  as  we  see  no  sign  of  your  doing  anything  with  your  anny 
as  we  expected."  They  had  now  assembled,  pursuant  to 
a  belt  which  he  had  sent  them,  "  in  their  present  hungry 
condition  having  nothing  to  eat,"  to  hear  what  he  had  to 
say,  and  to  thank  him  for  the  supplies  they  had  brought, 
"  although  the  day  before,"  being  quite  out  of  patience 
and  hungered,"  they  had  resolved  to  break  up  and  go 
home."  Colonel  Johnson  thanked  them  for  the  kind 
welcome  they  had  given  him,  but  being  too  much  fatigued 
to  enter  upon  business  then,  he  deferred  them  until  the 
next  day,  adding — "  So  I  hope  you  wiU  be  easy  in  your 
minds,  and  content  yourselves  so  long,  and  I  will  this 
night  provide  a  feast  for  your  sachems,  and  another  for 
the  warriors  and  dancers,  who  I  hope  will  be  meriy,  as  it 
will  be  my  greatest  pleasure  to  see  them  and  make  them 


so. 


f  ^, 


:„,(  ',A   r. 


■ifr^- 


On  the  following  day  the  colonel  met  them  in  gi-and 
council,  and  imparted  the  business  which  had  called  him 
thither  in  a  general  speech,  prepared  after  the  usual  pattern 
of  Indian  diplomacy.  He  told  them  that  he  had  found  ui 
some  of  tho  old  writings  of  our  forefathers  which  were 
thought  to  have  been  lost,  an  old  and  valuable  record, 
containing  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  first 
friendship  between  their  respective  ancestors  had  com- 
menced on  the  arrival  of  "the  first  great  canoe"  at  Albany. 
As  that  canoe  contAined  many  things  that  pleased  the 
Indians,  they  resolved  to  tie  it  fast  to  the  strongest  tree 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  by  a  great  rope,  that  the  great- 
est care  might  be  taken  of  it.  But  on  farther  considera- 
tion, fearing  that  the  tree  might  be  blown  down,  it  was 
thought  safest  to  make  a  long  rope  and  tie  it  fast  at  Onon- 
daga, and  the  rope  put  under  their  feet,  that  in  case  of  any 
danger  to  the  canoe,  by  the  shaking  of  the  rope,  they 
might  all  rise  as  one  man,  and  see  what  the  matter  was. 
Afterward,  that  their  covenant  of  friendship  might  be  the 
stronger,  the  governor  had  provided  a  long  silver  chain 


njttt'ttm^t  jmvim 


LIFE  OV  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


887 


instead  of  the  rope,  that  it  might  never  break,  or  slip,  or  crap. 
rust.     This  chain  was  to  bind  both  peoples  together,  as  of  w^,-/ 
one  head,  one  heart,  one  blood ;    and  whenever  it  became  l'*^' 
rusty,  it  was  to  be  immediately  brightened  up  again,  that 
the  covenant  might  be  perpetual.    Having  thus  figura- 
tively rehearsed  the  history  of  the  ancient  alliance.  Colonel 
Johnson  proceeded  with  directness  to  the  object  of  his 
visit.    He  told  them  that  the  French  had  emissaries  among 
them,  who  were  endeavoring  to  blindfold  them,  and  per-. 
Buade  them  to  slip  their  hands  out  of  that  chain,  which, 
as  their  wise  forefathers  had  told  them  would  certainly  be 
the  destruction  of  them  all.    He  conjured  them  therefore 
to  listen  no  longer  to  their  deceitful  enemies,  whode  object 
in  the  end,  would  be  to  destroy  them  all.    In  answer  to 
their  complaint  that  for  two  days  all  their  roads  had  been 
stopped  by  the  orders  of  the  English — in  other  words  that 
they  had  been  kept  from  hunting,^-rthe  colonel  told  them 
they  had  misunderstood  the  belt  he  had  sent  them.    He 
had  only  meant  to  stop  the  ro^d  leading  to  Canada.    He 
informed  them  that  the  governors  of  New  York  and  Mas- 
sachusetts, to  their  great  concern,  had  heard  of  their 
determination  soon  to  go  that  way  again,  contrary  to  their 
engagements,  and  he  told  them  explicitly,  that  he  had 
been  sent  by  those  governors  to  stop  their  going. .  It  was 
the  wish,  both  of  the  governors  and  himself,  that  they 
should  act  for  their  own  interests,  and  go  in  whatever 
direction  they  pleased  excepting  to  Canada.    <?>n  no  consi- 
deration whatever  should  they  offer  to  go  there.       ' 

The  plea  of  the  Indians  for  their  present  desire  to  send 
a  mission  to  Canada  was,  that  several  of  their  "  flesh  and 
blood"  were  in  Montreal,  chained  and  imprisoned',  and 
they  wished  to  go  thither  "  and  get  them  back ;"  but  the 
colonel  told  them  they  had  better  leave  that  matter  to  their 
brethren  the  English,  who  would  be  nlost  likely  to  succeed. 
He  then  rebuked  them  sharply  for  a  transaction  of  the 
preceding  year.  They  had  then  expressed  a  strong 
diBsire  to  send  an  embassy  to  Canada,  to  persuade  their 


.'■I.! 


.'! 

? 

1 

1^ 

t\ 

■V    '■ 

.r 

;  S   ■  , 

|#  -mm^' 


888 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP. "  flesh  and  blood,"  the  Caughnawagas,  to  leave  the  French, 


'  and  return  to  their  own  country  and  kindred ;  and  at  their 
^^*^'  solicitation,  hostilities  were  to  be  suspended  during  their 
absence — they  promising  to  return  within  a  month.  But 
instead  of  that,  tney  staid  in  Canada  the  whole  summer, 
and  brought  back  none  of  their  "  flesh  and  blood"  when 
they  finally  returned.  True  to  his  engagement  tha  colo- 
nel had  kept  all  the  warriors  of  the  Six  Nations  at  home 
during  their  absence,  and  the  consequence  was  that  the 
lives  of  several  of  his  people  had  been  lost  by  the  incur- 
sions of  the  Canada  Indians,  and  he  told  the  Onondaga^ 
plaiuly  that  he  had  no  doubt  they  had  seen  tlieir  scalps. 
Indeed  he  charged  them  with  having  feigned  the  errand  to 
the  Caughnawagas,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  them  an 
opportunity  to  talk  with  the  French  governor;  but  he 
warned  them  not  to  set  their  faces  that  way  again. 

Thus  far  Colonel  Johnson  told  them,  the  Six  Nations 
had  not  hurt  the  Caughnawagas  during  the  war;  and  yet 
some  of  their  principal  men  had  lately  been  murdered  in 
the  open  fields  by  the  Caughnawagas  and  the  French. 
"  The  Frenchman's  axe  is  therefore  sticking  fast  in  our 
heads  day  after  day."  By  this  barbarous  act,  it  was  ren- 
dered very  plain  that  the  French  aimed  at  nothing  short 
of  their  destruction,  which,  he  insisted,  had  ever  been 
their  design,  "  as  you  all,"  said  h^,  "by  sorrowful  experi- 
ence hav3  formerly  seen  and  felt,  when  they  used  to  destroy 
your  castles,  and  sacrifice  such  numbers  of  your  predeces- 
sors, that  large  heaps  of  their  bones  yet  lie  scattered  over 
your  whole  country.  This  consideration  alone  ought  to 
be  sufficient  to  stir  up  everlasting  resentment  in  your 
bosoms  against  ^nch  a  barbarous  people;  and  it  would,  if 
there  was  the  least  spark  of  that  Great  Spirit  in  you,  for 
which  your  brave  ancestors  were  noted  through  the  world. 
If  you  are  worthy  of  those  ancestors  you  will  now  use  the 
axe  against  them  which  you  have  had  so  long  in  your 
hands. 

Before  closing  his  spcechj  tho  colonel  repeated  his  suspi- 


Ill 

.11)  1 1 


LIVB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


889 


cions  of  their  friendly  intentions  toward  the  French,  and  chap* 
warned  them  against  any  farther  duplicity.    They  mustwy^ 
either  drop  the  French  entirely  and  stand  by  their  own  ^^^®* 
brothers,  or  declare  themselves   at  once  and  explicitly,  if 
the  contrary    was  their  determination.    In  conclusion, 
however,  he  informed  them  of  the  liberal    disposition 
entertained  toward  them  by  the  governor,  and  by  their 
great  father  the  king.    He  had  now  orders  to  build  forts 
in  their  country  for  the  defence  of  their  towns  and  castles 
while  their  braves  were  absent  in  the  war ;  and  he  had  the 
pleasure    farther  to    inform    them  that  the   king    had 
gent  a  quantity  of  goods  as  presents  for  those  of  them  who 
were  hearty  in  his  cause.    These  presents  were  expected 
shortly  to  arrive,  and  it  was  his  desire  that  their  nations 
should  meet  the  governor  at  Albany,  there  to  receive  them. 
The  council-fire  was  then  raked  up  until  the  next  day, 
when  the  sachems   delivered  their  answer ;  and  even  if 
they  had  been  meditating  treacheiy,  either  the  decided 
tone  in  which  Colonel  Johnson  had  spoken,  or  the  promis- 
ed presents,  or  perhaps  the  influence  of  both,  had  wrought 
Ba  favorable  change  ih  their  temper  as  could  have  been 
desired.     They  admitted  that  they  had  been  tampered 
with  by  the  French,  "  who  had  used  a  great  deal  of  art," 
hut  promised  that  their  friendship  for  the  English,  should 
never  be  dropped.     They  nevertheless  thought  it  hard  and 
cruel  that  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  go  to  Canada  for 
their  "flesh  and  blood,"  rottmg  and  dying  in  irons,  when 
their  release  had  been  oflor:>(i  if  they  would  go  for  them. 
"Had  you,"  they  said,  "got  them  from  thence  as  you  did 
your  own  people,  we  should  not  have  thought  of  going  to 
Canada  as  friends,  but  in  another  manner."    However,  as 
the  colonel  promised  that  eflForts  should  be  made  to  pro- 
cure tiie  release  of  ibe  Indian  captives  in  exchange  for 
French  prisoners,  th^.y  would  not  look    that  way  any 
longer.    Yet  they   begged  earnestly  ti)a,t  their  brocher 
would  make  haste  in  this  matter.    They  exr'    ned  the 
reason  of  their  long  detention  when  on  a  niiB.jion  to 


i1     'i 


I 


■.b     iW 


*'''|I1 liM't  >■ 


840 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


M 


CHA*.  Canada,  the  summer  before.  While  they  were  in  Montreal, 
v-v-^  news  came  that  tbt;  Six  Nations  had  killod  and  taken  sevo- 
1748.  yg^j  French  peopie,,  apou  which  t^ioy  were  ordered  to  Que- 
bec to  be  imifHsoco*}.  Tltoy  w.  re  detained  ninety-two 
days,  at  the  end  of  which  they  v  to  permitted  to  returri, 
but  with  only  ,vo  of  iieif  ;vai ! '  - 1  wb o  were  prisoners. 
The  gov^T-nor  av<  uld  release  no  laoro,  but  told  them  ho 
'Aculd  give  *hem  all  up  if  they  would  come  again  this 
spr'mg,  unless  ii;  the  meantime  the  SLx  Nations  should 
mele  >v{,r,  in  which  evf  uL  h(  woT).dput  them  all  to  death. 
"Kow,"  said  the  governor  •  aa  we  have  told  you  all  about 
this  aflji/r,  we  hope  you  all  not  blame  us  as  you  have 
done,  but  bo  assured  our  resolution  is  to  live  and  die  by 
you.  "Wo  listen  to  you  with  open  ears  and  mind  what 
you  pay,  you  may  depend  upon  it.  And  we  hope  you  will 
not  make  a  doubt  of  it  that  our  firm  resolution  is,  to  keep 
up  in  every  step,  to  the  rules  laid  down  by  our  forefathers. 
And  as  we  hixvQ  your  axe  so  long  in  hand,  we  assure  you 
that  we  have  been,  ever  since  we  last  took  it  up,  always 
ready  to  make  ijee  of  it  in  conjunction  with  you  and  will 
ever  continue  so."  Recurri,ng  in  the  course  of  their 
speech  to  tl^e  s^me  idea  of  having  had  the  axe  so  long  in 
their  hea^B  again,  the  sachem  procee4ed  as  follows: 
"  Brother^  we  were  in  hopes  to  have  used  the  axe  before 
^iqw  to  some  purpose,  as  you  told  us  two  years  ago  that 
•  you  were  then  ready  to  march  with  your  army  against 
Canada.  But  instead  of  an  army  you  only  sent  out  Hmall 
parties,  several  r>f  whom  were  by  that  means  cut  to  pieces. 
JIad  you  gont  jn  \Vith  your  army  and  ships,  as  you  told 
us  you  would,  and  aasisted  us  properly  to  get  over  the 
foreign  Indians  to  our  interest,  who  offered  their  service, 
then  we  should  have  been  able  with  the  loss  of  a  few  men 
to  ha.ve  drven  the  French  and  his  allies  into  the  tjreat 
lakes  and  <^v  ^^  aed  tliem.  But  as  you  have  r  *!  done  Ihut, 
which  we  orry  for,  we  tell  you  now,  br  her,  according 
to  y':^"r  d  -  ,  we  used  what  interest  we  .ould  that  way, 
and  rav'     ained  a  considerable  number  of  the  foreign 


liXWWHt.ii    I 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


Hi 


Indians  who  were  ready  to  join  you,  and  ua.    But  there  is  ''^'• 
no  sign  of  an  army  now,  nor  the  encouragement  given  to  ^-v— ' 
them  which  they  expected.    "We  cannot  pretend  to  say  ^'^*" 
now  what  they  will  do." 

This  rebuke  of  the  English  for  the  feeble  manner  in  which 
the  war  had  been  conducted,  notwithstanding  all  the  bust- 
ling preparations  of  the  two  preceding  years,  was  not 
undeserved,      •..•i        r      .-.»,;  /     in    ..int. 

The  sachems  closed  their  address  by  warm  expressions 
of  thanks  to  Colonel  Johnson  for  his  care  over  them,  and 
for  the  presents  he  had  brought.  They  also  promised  to 
meet  the  governor  at  his  call ;  and  in  conclusion,  the  colonel 
assured  them  that  hei  should  inform  the  governor  of  what 
had  taken  place  "with  a  cheerful  heart."  *         -  i...    ,. 

Yet  in  transmitting  the  proceedings  to  the  governor,  the 
colonel  avowed  his  decided  belief  that  no  restraint  that 
should  be  at  once  wholesome  and  permanent,  could  be 
imposed  upon  the  Indians,  unless  by  strong  legislation, 
unprincipled  white  men  could  be  prevented  from  hastening 
their  destruction  by  the  "accursed  traJffic  of  rum." 

The  idea  of  a  grand  council,  to  be  held  at  Albany  the 
ensuing  summer,  had  been  long  in  contemplation  both  by 
Governor  Clinton  and  Governor  Shirley.'  Strangely 
enough,  moreover,  oohsidering  the  course  of  the  ministers 
in  terminating  the  military  dedionstrations  of  the  preceding 
autumn,  and  ordering  the  disbanding  of  the  troops,  a  letter 
was  received  from  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  in  February, 
addressed  to  Governors  Shirley  and  Clinton,  urging  in  the 
strongest  terms,  the  importance  of  destroying  the  French 
settlement  at  Crown  Point — an  object,  it  need  not  be  here 
repeated,  long  entertained  by  the  colonies,  and  the  achieve- 
ment of  which,  had  only  been  prevented  by  the  indecision, 
if  not  the  weakness  of  ministers,  ^hey  were  also  directed 
in  the  same  despatch,  to  do  everything  in  their  power  to 

'For  a  full  account  of  the  proceedings  of  this  council,  see  journals  of  the 
oounQil  i'oard. 
'Tieti')' from  GoToraor  SLuley  to  Qovernor  Clinton — London  documentg 


;.  M 


il..*! 


%':'■■■        ': 


•»iii»iigiiil»i 


§$'m 


»*. 


f 


LIPB  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 

CHAP,  secure  the  steady  attachment  of  the  Six  Nations  to  the 
v-v— '  king's  interests — to  which  end  the  necessary  presents  were 
1748.  ^Q  Ijq  provided  at  the  expense  of  the  crown.  This  com- 
munication fi'om  the  ministers  only  hastened  the  carrying 
out  of  the  proposed  council ;  and  on  the  twenty-eighth  of 
March,  Governor  Clinton  being  indisposed.  Chief  Justice 
DeLancey,  by  his  order,  laid  before  the  council  the 
duke  of  Newcastle's  letter.  The  letter  having  been 
referred  to  a  committee,  the  suggestions  contained  in  it 
were  fully  approved,  and  an  expedition  against  Crown  Point 
recommended  as  best  calculated  to  secure  the  Six  Nations 
in  the  interests  of  the  crown.  The  committee  farther 
seconded,  without  a  dissenting  voice,  the  project  of  holding 
a  council  with  the  Indians  during  the  ensuing  summer, 
and  suggested  that  the  governor  should  send  down  a  mes- 
sage to  the  house  asking  for  its  cheerful  acquiescence  in 
these  plans.  In  accordance,  therefore,  with  this  advice, 
the  governor  sent  a  message  to  the  assembly,  urging  upon 
its  consideration  these  suggestions  of  the  council,  and 
asking  for  immediate  action.  On  the  next  day  a  committee 
of  the  whole  house  reported  favorably  upon  the  message. 
They  acknowledged  the  kindnesB  of  his  majesty  in  directing 
that  the  Indians  should  be  protected  at  the  expense  of  the 
crown ;  they  proposed  that  the  provinces  should  unite  with 
each  other  in  every  well  concerted  scheme  for  defence ; 
and  suggested  th^t  provision  should  be  made  to  enable  the 
commissionerE.  of  the  difterent  provinces  to  meet  together 
and  determine  upon  suitable  measures.  This  report  met 
the  entire  approval  of  the  assembly,  and  on  the  same  day 
it  further  brought  in  a  bill  for  reimbursing  the  governor 
for  the  money  which  he  had  advanced  out  of  his  own  funds 
to  Colonel  Johnson  as  pay  for  the  scalps  which  had  been 
brought  in  by  the  Indians. 

But  notwithstanding  this  seeming  disposition  on  the  part 
of  the  assembly  to  acquiese  in  the  wishes  of  th«  governor, 
all  his  efforts  to  second  governor  Shirley's  favorite  plan 
for  an  expedition  against  Crown  Point  were   "  ;;    as. 


LIFB  or  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


848 


Although  the  new  assembly  had  not  openly  opposed  tlie  otap. 
governor  thus  far,  yet  its  apathy  showed  plainly  how  little  ^-v—' 
it  waa  its  purpose  to  second  vigorously  his  eflbrts.  In  a  ^^*^* 
letter  from  Governor  Clinton  to  the  lords  of  trade,  under 
date  of  April  of  this  year,  the  writer  complains  bitterly  of 
this  indisposition  to  second  him  in  his  endeavors  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  the  colony ;  and  alludes  in  no  gentle 
spirit  to  the  continued  encroachments  of  the  house  on  the 
crown,  particularly  as  shown  in  the  appointment  of  Robert 
Charles  as  agent  for  the  province  without  his  privity  or 
consent.  This  appoin  tment  by  the  assembly  without  refer- 
ence to  the  wishes  of  the  governor,  was  well  calculated  to 
exasperate  a  far  less  choleric  temperament  than  his ;  and 
accustomed  as  he  had  been  all  his  life  to  command,  ho 
could  ill  brook  the  growing  spirit  of  insubordination  in 
his  legislature.  Indeed,  this  is  but  another  evidence  of  the 
tendency  which  was  everywhere  manifesting  itself  in  the 
colonies,  to  assert  their  entire  independence  of  the  crown 
in  the  government  of  their  home  affairs.        •  i 

The  general  assembly  again  mel^  on  the  sixth  of  June, 
but  was  a^jouxDcd  until  the  twentyrfirst  The  session 
was  opened  by  a  message  from  the  gove  ■  ,  transmitting, 
among  other  papers,  Colonel  Johnson's  report  of  the  pro- 
ceedings at  the  Onondaga  council.  Favorable,  however, 
as  these  proceedings  appeared,  his  excellency  said  he  had 
little  hope  of  preventing  their  ultimate  defection  to  the 
French,  unless  some  enterprise  against  the  enemy  should 
be  speedily  and  resolutely  undertaken.  He  therefore  again 
urged  an  expedition  against  Crown  Point,  conjointly  with 
the  colonies  of  Massachusetts  and  '^'"■nnecticut,  who  were 
ready  to  unite  immediately  in  an  ai-cupc  for  the  reduction 
of  that  post.  On  the  subject  of  intercourse  between  the 
traders  and  the  Indians,  a  strong  enactment  to  prevent  the 
sale  to  the  latter  of  spirituous  liquors,  and  the  purchase 
from  them  of  arms,  ammunition  and  clothing,  was  recom- 
mended. The  message  farther  announced  that  his  excel- 
lency was  preparing  to  meet  the  Indians  at  Albany  in  the 


J,  1 


.-..,  I 


j 


'^iftf^f 


844 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


Ijj;  'W*nf(|||^g;ai 


CHAP,  conrflo  of  tho  enRuing  month ;  but  particularly  it  called 
,.^  the  iittontion  of  the  assembly  to  the  diaatfectiou   of  the 
1748.  Indians  oil  account  of  the  detention  of  their  braves  iu 
Canada ;  urging  in  view  of  this,  that  immediate  provision 
be  made  for  the  exchange  of  these  prisoners, rji...  in  .u.  , 
Upon  the  last  mentioned  sugget-iion  the  assembly  acted 
with  promptitude;  and  a  resolution  waB  passed,  requesting 
the  governor  to  send  a  flag  of  truce  to  Canada  with  twenty- 
.. ,  ^  1.  rencb  prisoners  then  confined  in  New  York,  togetlier 
with  all  the  prisoners  detained  at  Albany,  to  be  exchanged 
for  such  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  colony,  and  Indiana  of 
the  Six  Nations,  as  were  held  in  captivity  by  the  French,-— 
the  house  pledging  itself  to  defray  the  expense.    But  as 
to  the  other  recommendations  of  the  message,  a  decided 
spirit  of  reluctance  was  manifested.     The  house  refused  to 
engage  with  Massachusetts  and  Conn*,  ^ticut  in  the  pro- 
posed united  expedition  against  Crown  Point ;-— iuHtead  of 
which  they  recommended  merely  that  the  governor  should 
unite  with  Governor  Shirley,  and  the  other  governors  ou 
the  continent,  in  humbly  repr"8eutii     to  his  niajeyty  the 
distressed  state  of  the  colonies  by  rea.     i  of  the  T  onch  in 
Canada,  and  imploring  his  assistance. 

There  had  as  yet  been  no  collision  ho*^y  ^en  Mr.  Clintoii 
and  his  new  assembly — rendered  new  only  oy  the  process 
of  an  election, — but  however  smooth  the  «"  ''ace,  tlie 
elements  of  an  outbreak  were  smouldering  beneii  in.  And 
these  had  well  nigh  been  called  into  action  by  a  very  small 
ailair,  during  the  present  short  session.  Oh  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  June,  Colonel  Beekman,  one  of  the  representa- 
tives froiti  the  county  of  Dutchess,  brought  forward  with 
all  possible  sol- lanitj,  a  charge  against  the  governor,  "of 
Bucli  a  violation  of  the  laws,  and  such  a  grievance  upon  the 
people, — such  au  attempt  upon  their  rights  and  properties, 
— as  called  loudly  for  redress."  The  facts  adduced  by 
Colonel  Beekman  to  sustain  this  very  grievous  charge,  were 
these  :  Some  of  the  late  levies  from  Dutchess  county,  who 
had  served  on  the  northern  frontier,  had  sued,  and  others 


LIFK  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


ai6 


were  preparing  to  sue,  their  captain  for  their  pay ;  upon  chap- 
which  the  governor  had  written  to  the  judge,  and  Mr.  v,^ 
Catherwood,  his  secretary,  to  the  clerk  of  the  court,  and  ^^^' 
also  to  the  shcriii',  desiring  them  to  put  a  stop  to  the  pro- 
ceoflingg.  Upon  this  representation,  a  comm  ittee  of  inquiry 
was  raised,  with  power  to  send  for  persons  and  papers. 
No  sooner,  however,  had  the  governor  ston  the  entry  of 
those  proceedings  upon  the  journals,  than  ho  transmitted 
a  message  of  explanation  to  the  house,  iVom  which  it 
appeared  that  the  suits  in  question  had  hv  n  instituted  by 
sundry  deserters  who  had  gone  off  with  hid  majesty's  arma 
and  clothing,  by  reason  of  which  they  haji  fortified  all  pay 
due  them  from  the  orown ;  and  the  letters  written  to  th,9 
0  ers  of  the  court,  merely  recommended  that  &,  stop 
should  be  put  to  the  claims  of  those  deserters.  "  If,"  said 
the  governor,  "  such  a  step  taken,  cap,  in  the  most  exten- 
sive light,  be  construed  any  violation  of  the  laws,  or  a 
grievance  upon  the  people,  it  was  done  through  inadypr- 
tency ;  aa  I  never  had  an  intention  to  infringe  upon  any 
man's  right  or  property ;  and  if  the  people  have  received 
any  damage  thereby,  I  am  ready  to  redress  it."  JTo  farther 
action  was  had  in  the  case,  and  the  assembly  adjourned  on 
the  first  of  Julyy — not,  however,  without  complying  with 
the  suggestion  of  Colonel  Johnso..,  jy  passing  an  a^t  more 
effectually  to  cut  off  the  pernicious  traffic  in  rum  with  the 
Indians. 

Mr.  Clinton's  attention  was  next  occupied  in  prepara- 
tions for  his  approaching  interview  with  the  Indians,  at 
which  Governor  Shirley  proposed  to  be  present.  Just  as 
he  was  on  the  point  of  starting  ihv  Albany,  however,  tidings 
though  unofficial,  were  received  from  Europe,  the  nature 
of  which  would  be  at  once  to  change  the  character  of  the 
negotiations  with  the  Indians,  and  of  wl^ich  the  goyernor 
wrote  thus  to  Colonel  Johnson : 


44 


111. 


I  1  fi'iii 


/.-  •■  i!. 


II. 


I  ,ii 


f  .  '1/  i:  j 

>■■■   -iX 


846 


i 


OHAF. 


Sfc' 


174a 


Uri  OF  8IR   MiLiAJM  JOUNSOM,  BABT. 

'(,i'-\  Governor  Clinton  lo  Colonel  Johnson. 

Nbw  York,  July  6,  1748. 

I  have  joflt  this  moment  received  yours  of  the  firat 
instant,  whicli  I  have  but  time  to  acknowledge  by  Liouton- 
nnt  Cleavland,  and  send  you  the  oncloaed  piece  of  nowH, 
which  I  believe  will  startle  you,  as  it  does  everybody  olso; 
though  I  think  if  the  Parliament  had  agreed  to  the  prelimi- 
naries, we  mufit  have  had  orders  before  this.    Upon  this 
news  I  received  a  letter  from  Governor  Shirley  last  8atur- 
day,  to  desire  I  would  postpone  my  meeting  the  Indians 
for  ci^ht  or  ten  days.    Upon  that  I  have  sent  an  exprees 
t6  know  the  difficulty  I  shall  meet  in  oomplying,  besides 
the  danger  of  making  them  angry  if  I  don't  meet  them 
kt  or  about  the  time  appointed.    Therefore  I  wa«  obliged 
to  set  out,  but  would  defer  speaking  to  them  till  the 
twentieth  instant,  in  the  hope  of  his  being  there  by  that 
time.    I  set  out  on  Thursday,  and  expect  an  apswer  to  my 
express  at  the  manor  of  Livingston  this  day  sennight,-- 
having  given  him  positive  orders  to  be  there  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  written  to  Mr.  Shirley  to  despatch,  him  for  that 
dnd.     One  reason  Governor  Shirley  gives  for  postpouing 
the  conference,  is,  that  we  may  expect  some  directions  from 
homo  in  regard  to,  the  Indians,  and  what  it  would  be  proper 
to  say  to  them  on  this  occasion.    Adieu  in  great  haste. 

"  Yours  most  sincerely,  ,i 

-   ■'  .i         «  Geo.  Clinton." 
*»To  Colonel  Johnson."*  ""i'  ..  i ;..  -n   

^  ^Th,e  report  proved  to  be  true — ^the  preliminaries  of  a 
general  peace  having  been  signed  by  the  ministers  of  the 
great  powers,  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  in  May,  as  announced  by 
the  king  in  closing  the  session  of  parliament  on  the 
thirteenth  of  that  month.  The  truth  was,  that  all  parties 
had  become  tired  of  the  war, — ^England,  oecause  of  the 
prodigious  expense  she  was  compelled  to  incur,  not  only  in 
keeping  up  her  own  fleets  and  armies,  but  in  subsidizing 

^  ManuBoript  Letter. 


•!;■:  ;'( 


Lira  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    BAET. 


34Y 


tho  northern  powers  of  Europo, — au  oxpeiiBO  bo  great  k.i  c»^». 
not  to  be  count6rmaAi(.le<i  by  the  Bplundid  series  of  victories  v-^,-^ 
which  her  arms  had  achieved  at  sea,  and  by  the  glory  which  ^'*®' 
the  Duke  of  Cumberland  had  won  upon  tho  continent 
Tho  king  of  France,  too^  had  in  t)ie  preceding  autumn, 
cxi)ro88ed  his  desire  of  a  pacification  in  a  personal  cqnvcr- 
Btttion  with  Sir  John  Ligonier,  made  priMoner  by  tho  French 
in  the  battle  of  Lafl'cldt;  and  his  minister  at  the  Hague 
had  subsequently  presented  a  dechiration  to  the  same  otiect 
to  the  iloputiea'of  tho  States  General. '    Nor  is  it  strange 
that  the  French  monarch  should  have  been  desirous  of 
peace.    For  notwithstanding  the  successes  of  his  arms  in 
the  Netherlands,  tho  victory  of  Marshall  Saxo  over  tho 
confederates  at  Laifoldt,  was  accidental,  and  withal  had 
heen  dearly  purchased,  while  the  Marshal  de  Belleiale* 
though  at  first  succcssftil  in  Italy,  had  been  checked,  and 
lus  brother,  the  chevalier,  slain  ii^  Piedmont,  and  his  large 
army  defeated.    Everywhere  upon  the  seas  the  English  had 
been  victorious.    In  addition  to  the  loss  of  the  expensive 
armament  under  the  Duke  p'Anville,  occasioned  by  eick- 
nessy  tempest,  and  the  death  of  tho  commander,  and  the 
victories  of  Anson  and  ^arren,  of  which  an  account  has 
akeady  been  )giv(j|i  in  *i. former  chapter,  Commodore  Fpx 
had,  in  the  month  of  ^i^pe  of  the  preceding  year,  takieu 
above  forty  ehipai  richly  laden  from  St.  Domingo,  and  in 
October  following,  Admiral  Hawkc  had  achieved  his  splen- 
did victory  over  the  French  fleet  commanded  by  Monsjeur. 
Leteudeur,  in  the  latitude  of  Belleisle.    Letpndeur's  fleet 
consisted  of  nine  ships  of  the  line,  besides  frigates,  in  con- 
voy of  a  numerous  fleet  of  merchant  ships  bound  frbim  the 
West  Indies.    A  large  number  of  the  merchantmen  were 
intercepted  before  their  arrival  at  Martinique,  and  taken. 
The  number  of  prizes  captured  by  tho  British  cruisers  that 
year  from  the  French  and  Spaniards,  was  six  hundred  and 
forty-four — the  loss  of  the  English  during  the  same  period 
not  exceeding  four  hundred  and  fifty.* 

•Smollett. 

'■"Smollett.  •    ;.  1, 


ti 


PS  ^* 


.    „  ,|T 


848 


LIFE  OF  SIH'WILLIAM  JOtfNSON,   BAAT. 


cH«'-  These  results  had  been  sufficiently  discouraging  to  the 
>-vT-' French  monarch,  who  now  knew  in  Edition,  that  Great 
1748.  ^Britain  had  at  length  succeeded  in  stibsidizing  the  Czarina 
of  Rusi^la,  who  h«d  a  large  army  then  bn  the  march  to  join 
the  Diike  of  Cumberland  and  tft'6  Confederates  in  the 
LowliijadB.  Every  day  France  was  becoming  more  and 
mote/  impdverished  by  the  expetoses,  and  the  losses  of  the 
war,  while  her  statesmen  were  amazed  at  the  resources  of 
England,  enabling  her  not  only  to  maintain  invincible 
armi6&  add  navies,  but  to  subsidize  all  Europe.*  Hence 
the  desirie  of  the  French  monarch  fdr  peace,  the  prelimina- 
ries of  which  were  signed  in  May  of  the  present  year,  as 
!^1^6ady  stated,  although  thei'e  was  ho  cessation  of  hostilities 
ui^tU  th^  conclusion  of  the  treaty  in  October.   '^»*Kt^!ji'^»^'H5 

'"¥hiB  ^im^  fof  holding  'fflfe gran^'couhdil— so  earnestly 
^esired'.'by^e  royal  goverhors,  and  so  long  looked  for  by 
the  Indians— had  now  arrived.  .  Preparations  for  this  event 
had  beei^  mado  upon  a  large  scale,  elnd  everything  which 
woujd  render  it  attractive  to  t|ie  Indians  had  been  thought 
of  and  prepareii.  Accordingly,  o^nthe  t\ventieth  of  July, 
(jovefnor  Clinton,  accompanied  by  Doctor  Colden  and 
otter  members  6f  his  council,  arrived  in  Albany.  Here 
they  found  waiting  them,  Governor  ^hirlcy  aind  the  com- 
missioners of  Massachusetts  Bay,  who  had  Arrived  a  day 
or  two  previously.  !N*or  had  the  Indians  been  less  prompt 
in  their  attendance.  I^'he  i^epresehtations  from  the  Six 
Nations,  ihe  Eiver  Indians,  knd  some  of  the  far  off  tribes, 
was  unprecedented  in  the  history  of  any  former  council. 
So  large,  indeed,  was  the  number  of  Indians  assembled 
upon  this  occasion,  that  the  oldest  of  the  inhabitants 
declared  that  Albany  had  never  before  witnessed  such  a 
large  concourse  within  her  precincts.  The  exertions  of 
Colonel  Johnuon,  which  had  been  unremitting  to  secure  a 
full  delegation  from  each  of  the  different  tribes,  undoubt- 
edly contributed  much  to  this  repult.    Indeed,  such  had 

1  Smollett. 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


849 


been  bis  influence,  that  numbers  of  those  Indians,  who  chap. 
had  hitherto  leaned  toward  the  French  interest,   came^-v-' 
flocking  in  from  the  surrounding  country,  anxious  to  show  ^'^**' 
their  allegiance  to  the  British  crown**','i,n4ir,  iUjirfw  K'  'Jit;ws 

The  old  Dutch  city  had  in  fact  seldom  witnessed  such  a 
sight.  Here  were  gathered  Indians  from  the  far  West, 
many  of  whom  at  a  later  period  were  destined  to  redden 
their  tomahawks  in  the  blood  of  so  many  brave  garrisons, 
under  the  great  Pontiac.  Here  were  many  of  the  River 
Indians,— remnants  of  once  powerful  tribes, — ^whosc  grand- 
flires  had  followed  the  brave  Uncas  and  Miantonomo  to 
battle,  and  had  taken  their  last  stand  with  the  noble 
bat  ill-fated  King  Philip.  In  one  spot,  a  painted  and 
tattooed  warrior  might  have  been  seen  smoking  his  pipe, 
as  he  recounted  to  his  wondering  companions  the  sights  seen 
in  his  morning's  stroll ;  while  everywhere  groups  of  pic- 
turesquely attired  Indians,  with  nodding  plumes  and 
variegated  blankets,  wandered  through  the  streets,  gazing 
with  curious  eye  upon  the  novelties  of  civilization. 

The  proceedings  of  the  council,  however,  contrary  to 
expectation,  were  not  important.  The  governor's  speech 
was  but  another  rehearsal,  in  substance,  and  in  metaphor, 
of  former  ones.  The  old  "  covenant  chain"  was  again 
"brightened,"  and  the  Indians  were  again  admonished 
against  the  wiles  of  the  French.  They  were  requested  to 
keep  "the  axe  in  their  hands,"  and  to  restrain  their  young 
men  still  longer  from  their  hunting.  They  were  cautioned 
against  allowing  their  people,  under  any  pretext  whatesover, 
to  be  seduced  by  the  invitations  of  the  French  into  Canada, 
and  they  were  peremptorily  directed  to  arrest  the  celebrat- 
ed Jean  Coeur,  so  long  the  arch  enemy  of  the  English 
residing  among  the  Senecas  at  the  Niagara  carrying-place, 
and  deliver  him  to  the  colonial  authorities,  and  likewise 
to  banish  every  French  emissary  from  their  temtory. 
They  were  furthermore  requested  to  desist  from  a  war-ex- 
pedition which  they  were  about  to  undertake  ugaiust  the 
Flathead  Indians,  residing  far  in  the  northwest;  who  were 


850 


LIF£  OF  SIR  WILI.UM  JOHHBON»  BART. 


o»*p.  claimed  by  the  governor  as  his  mtgesty's  allies.  The  fol- 
'-v-'  lowing  is  the  concluding  paragraph  of  the  speech,  which 
^"^^  is  quoted  m  hax  verba,  for  the  reason  that  it  refers  to  a  qi^ 
sacre  of  which  the  paiiiioularB  are  not  known.,  >-  ^s.-tf..  f;.  .i, 
«  **  Brethren :  You  have  since  you  came  to  this  place, 
given  a  new  and  strong  proof  of  your  love  to  your  brethren 
and  fidelity  to  the  king  your  father,  by  so  cheerfully  and 
speedily  sending  out  a  number  of  j  our  warriors  with  our 
troops  in  quest  of  the  enemyi;who  a  few  days  since  sur- 
prised and  killed  many  of  our  brf'^hren  at  Schenectady, 
and  >  Ithough  those  who  earnestly  pursued  the  eneipay,  had 
not  the  good  fortune  to  meet  with  them,  yon  may  assure 
yourselves  t^at  this  instance  of  your  affection  and  readi- 
ness to  join  in  our  cause,  shall  always  be  remembered  by 
me,  and  made  known  to  the  king  your  ^Either." 

liTo  printed  or  official  record  of  the  affair  here  referred 
to  is  believed  to  dxifit  Among  the  Johnson  manuscripts, 
however,  I  have  discovered  ft  very  copfused  and  unsatis- 
factory account  of  it,  cont^ned  in  a  letter  to  Colonel  Jiohnson 
from  Albert  Van  Slyck,  dated  Schenectady,  July  tweinty- 
first,  1748.  From  the  details  jioserved  in  this  letter,  it  ap- 
pears that  a  party  of  men  fix)m  Schenectady,  the  leader  of 
whom  was  Daniel  Toll,  had  been  dispatched  to  some  place 
in  the  vicinity  to  bring  in  a  number  of  horses^  which  was 
surprised  by  a  party  of  the  enemy,  whose  presence  in  the 
neighborhood  was  neither  known  nor  suspected.  The 
firing  being  heard  by  Adrian  Van  Blyck,  a  brother  of  the 
writer  of  the  account,  who  seems  to  have  resided  at  a  al<- 
tance  from  the  town  ;  he  sent  a  negro  man  to  the  latter 
place  to  give  the  alarm,  and  obtain  reinforcements.  Four 
parties  of  armed  men  successivly  repaired  to  the  scene  of 
action,  the  first  of  which  was  composed  of  "  the  Now 
England  lieutenant  with  some  of  his  men,  and  five 
or  six  young  lads,"  accompanied  by  Daniel  Van  Slyck,— 
another  brother.  The  second  party  was  led  by  Angus  Van 
Slyck,  "and  some  men" — ^how  many  of  either  party 
is  not  stated.    Adrit     Van  Slyck  followed  next,  at  the 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


851 


head  of  a  party  of  New  York  levies ;  but  on  reaching  the  chap. 
scene  of  action,  where  Angus,  with  inferior  numbers,  was  w^ 
holding  the  enemy  at  bay,  the  levies  all  fled,  in  the  most  i'*^* 
cowardly  manner.    The  fourth  party,  was  composed  of 
Albert  Van  Slyck,  (the  writer  of  the  letter,)  Jacob  Glen, 
"  and  several  others,"  oi;  the  approach  of  whom  the  enemy 
drew  off,  leaving  Adrian  Van  Slyck   among    the  dead. 
The  letter  adds — "  It  grieves*  me,  I  not  being  commander, 
that  when  we  went,   Q-arret  VanAntwerp  would  suffer  no 
more  to  accompany  the  party." 

Having  taken  three  days  for  consideration,  the  Indians 
replied  on  the  twenty-sixth,  Onnasdego,  an  Onondaga 
sachem,  and  orator  of  renown  being  the  speaker.  But 
the  occasion  was  not  such  as  to  kindle  the  fire  of  his  genius, 
or  to  elicit  a  single  glowing  period.  His  oration  was 
theiefore  a  commonplac  answer,  in  their  exact  order,  to 
the  various  topics  of  the  speech  addressed  to  them  by  the 
governor.  In  the  outset  all  their  ancient  covenants  with 
the  English  were  renewed;  and  while  they  "freely 
acknowledged  that  the  French  were  continually  using 
artifices  to  induce  them  to  break  the  covenant  chain," 
they  nevertheless  were  resolved  to  hold  it  fast.  They 
promised  that  none  of  their  people  should  be  allowed  to 
visit  the  Freiich;  declared,  that  no  French  interpreter 
should  be  longer  allowed  to  reside  among  them ;  and 
announced  that  Jean  Coeur  had  already  been  delivered  up 
by  the  Senecas — but  of  this  fact  there  seems  to  be  no 
good  evidence.  Their  war-kettle,  they  said,  was  yet  over 
the  fire,  and  the  hatchet  in  their  hands.  They  would 
grasp  it  still,  and  be  ready  to  use  it  when  summoned  to 
the  path.  They  promised  to  desist  from  the  prosecution 
of  hostilities  against  the  Flatheads ;  thanked  the  governor 
for  his  efforts  to  procure  an  exchange  of  prisoners ;  express- 
ed their  grief  for  the  people  who  had  been  slain  at  Sche- 
nectady, and  their  regret  that  their  wariors  had  not  been 
able  to  overtake  the  enemy,  "  who  had  gone  a  different 
road  from  what  they  used  to  go. ' '    But  they  would  "  wipe 


852 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  up  the  blood  of  the  slain,"  and  "  dfy  up  the  tears  of  their 

s-y— 'friends."  ^iw/i  i 

1748.  ijijq  council  fire  was  then  raked  up,  and  the  conferences 
were  closed  by  a  dance  of  the  young  warriors  in  the  even- 
ing, the  governor  giving  them  five  barrels  of  beer  where- 
with to  drink  his  majesty's  health. 

On  the  following  day  the  River  Indians  presented 
themselves,  and  were  thus  welcomed  by  the  governor : — 
'i  «  Brethren :  I  am  glad  to  see  you  here  and  do  give  you 
thanks  for  the  fidelity  you  have  always  shown  to  this 
government,  and  I  do  assure  you,  you  shall  never  want  my 
protection  as  long  as  you  behave  yourselves  with  duty  and 
obedience  to  his  miyesty.  And  as  a  token  of  the  king 
your  father's  aflFection,  he  has  directed  me  to  make  you  a 
present  which  I  have  ordered  to  be  given  you." 
'  To  which  the  chief  addressing  himself  to  the  governors 
both  of  New  York  and  Massachusetts,  replied: —  !«  '  '1.' 
"  Fathers :  "We  wipe  off  your  tears  you  had  for  the  loss 
of  your  people  who  have  been  murdered  since  the  com- 
mencement of  this  war. 

"  Fathers :  We  are  very  much  rejoiced  for  the  rega''d  our 
father  the  king  of  Great  Britain  has  for  us  by  ordering  a 
present  which  you  assure  shall  be  given  us.  'f*'5i  t>^>^^f»f<mt 
"  Fathers:  Our  forefathers  told  us  that  before  any  white 
people  came  among  them,  they  saw  a  vessel  in  the  river. 
For  some  time  they  were  afraid  to  go  to  it.  But  at  last 
they  ventured  on  board  and  found  them  to  be  white 
men  who  treated  them  civilly  and  exchanged  mutually 
presents  to  each  other,  with  promise  that  they  would 
return  the  next  year,  which  accordingly  happened.  When 
they  came  again  the  white  people  and  they'  entered  into  a 
covenant  together  that  they  should  live  on  their  lands, 
which  they  did.  And  they  also  promised  to  take  us  under 
their  arms  and  protect  us  which  they  have  done  to  this  day. 
"  Fathers :  "When  you  came  first  to  this  country  you  were 
but  a  small  people  and  we  very  numerous.  "We  then 
assisted  and  protected  you,  and  now  we  are  few  in  num- 


IK' 


// 


LIFB   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON;  BABT. 


859 


1748. 


ber,  you  become  multitudes  like  a  large  tree,  whose  roots  cfiAp. 
and  bran'^hes  are  very  extensive,  under  whose  branches* 
we  take  our  shelter  as  we  have  heretofore  done. 

"  Fathers :  It  is  now  ulmost  three  years  since  the  war 
first  began.  You  have  had  a  very  numerous  aiTay 
together.  We  were  ready  to  join  yon  in  hopes  that 
Canada  would  have  been  in  possession  of  the  English 
before  now.  "We  have  been  always  ready  and  have  stiU 
our  hands  on  the  cocks  of  our  guns  to  go  against  our 
common  enemy  whenever  we  shall  be  commanded. 

"Fathers:  We  thank  you  for  your  kind  expressions 
toward  ns,  and  are  very  sorry  we  were  not  here  the  othe? 
day,  when  the  enemy  murdered  a  number  of  our  brethren 
at  Schenectady,  which  if  we  had  we  would  have  readily 
and  cheerfully  joined  in  the  pursuit  of  them,  even  to  the 
gates  of  Crown  Point." 

While  this  council  was  sitting,  the  rumor  that  the  pre- 
liminaries for  a  general  pacification  had  actually  been 
agreed  upon  by  the  great  powers  of  Europe,  became  geur 
eral,  and  was  soon  the  topic  of  conversation  among 
Indians,  as  woll  as  among  whites.  To  the  Indians  of 
the  Six  I^ations,  who  had  hoped  by  a  continuance  of  f49 
war  to  have  avenged  their  slaughtered  relative^,  th^ 
rumor  of  u  peacp  was  a  severe  blow.  All  the  cIaus  of 
the  Confederacy  had  lost  some  of  their  braves^  but  th^ 
Mohawks  upon  whom  the  loss  naturally  fell  with  greater 
force,  now  that  they  had  at  last  gone  upon  the  war>path, 
were  loth  to  relinquish  it.  They  recalled,  too,  with  bitter- 
neo8  the  justice  of  the  remark  made  by  them  to  Colonel 
Johnson,  when  urged  by  him  to  take  up  the  hatchet 
"You  and  the  French  can  make  peace  whenever  you 
choose,  but  with  us  when  the  hatchet  is  once  dug  up,  it 
cannot  be  so  easily  buried,  but  the  war  must  be  one  of 
extermination."  •:    'f         -jv         ..;  ^...f      ,  ; 

Still  the  result  of  this  council,  so  far  as  the  colonies 
were  concerned,  was  all  that  the  most  sanguine  could 
desire.    The  Six  Nations  promised,  either  to  drivp  ^11  tJiQ 


r*^  1  I 


■k,--  ! 


4& 


r  ^• 


864 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BAKT. 


.  =!!! 


oa^.  French  emissaries  who  had  privately  resided  among  them, 
v-^-<  out  of  their  country,  or  to  deliver  them  up  to  Governor 
1748.  Clinton.  They  agre3d  farther  to  send  no  deputations 
to  the  Canadian  governor,  and  to  keep  their  warriors 
in  constant  readiness  to  obey  the  commandii  of  Mr. 
Clinton.  Indeed  so  stroTig  had  been  the  desire  of  the 
Confederates  to'  send  a  deputation  into  Canada — Galisso- 
ni^re  having  represented  that  this  was  the  condition 
alone  upon  which  their  braves  detained  by  him  would  be 
given  up — ^that  Governor  Shirley  thought  it  best  to  bring 
with  him  fourteen  French  prisoners  to  be  inunediately  sent 
into  Canada  as  an  exchange  for  an  equal  number  of  In- 


dians detained  therein  captivity.  ;.,*.. ,;^a.„ 


pi>  'Kafci  ti;»U  z^' ,Yfei> 


The  tragedy  at  Schenectady,  was  not  the  only  one  enact- 
ed upoa  the  northern  border  of  the  colony  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1748.  Another,  of  a  most  heart  rending  description, 
was  perpetrated  at  about  the  same  time,  in  the  town  of 
Hoosic,  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Albany,  by  a  party  of 
Indians  from  St.  Francis,  which,  from  its  peculiar  barbari- 
ty, and  the  character  of  the  victims,  deserves  a  more 
extended  record  than  is  usually  awarded  to  these  incidents 
of  the  border.  Indeed  among  all  the  scenes  of  blood, 
written  or  traditionary,  in  the  early  history  of  this  country, 
none  surpass  in  cruelty  the  one  now  about  to  be  related. 

Maria  Keith,  whose  name  is  identified  with  this  savage 
transaction,  was  bom  in  1721,  of  highly  respectable 
parents,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  about  eighteen  miles 
above  Albany.  Of  her  infancy  and  early  life,  it  is  suffi- 
cient to  say,  that  she  gave  decided  promise  of  no  ordi- 
nary qualities  of  mind,  evincing  an  unusual  attachment 
for  books,  and  devoting  to  reading  the  greater  part  of  that, 
which  her  contemporaries  in  childhood  spent  in  play. 
By  seizing  thus  upon  every  opportunity  of  improving  her 
mind,  she  acquired  much  information,  and  laid  up  a  consi- 
derable amount  of  knowledge,  though  the  expression  of 
her  biographer,  from  whom  the  leading  facts  of  the  nar- 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


855 


I 


rative  al-e  drawn,  that  "she  had  informed  her  opening  chap* 
mind  with  the  principles  of  every  useful  science,"  is  proba- wv— ' 
bly  somewhat  exaggerated.^    But  be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  ^'*®' 
evident  that  her  mind  was  well  cultivated.    To  this  excel- 
lence may  be  added  another,  which  though  of  less  import- 
ance, yet  deserves  notice,  that  her  manners  were  elegant, 
and  her  person  uncommonly  attractive.  Her  beauty  becamo 
80  celebrated  that  her  fame  reached  Albany,  and  drew 
thence  several  admirers   who   visited  Miss    Keith,  and 
Bolicited  her  hand.    This  she  refused  to  all  her  Albanian 
suitors,  reserving  her  afiections  for  a  relative  of  the  same 
name.    The  latter,  though  not  handsome,  yet  having  an  ' 
engaging  address,  and  being  mutually  and  morally  such 
as  suited  her  tastes,  won  her  heart,  in  preference  to  other 
lovers,  who  might  have  been  considered  in  a  worldly  point 
of  view,  more  eligible.     She  was  married  at  the  youthful 
age  of  fifteen,  her  nuptials  being  celebrated  under  the 
most  favorable  auspices. 

Immediately  after  her  marriage,  Mr.  Keith  erected  a 
beautiful  mansion  on  the  banks  of  the  Touhama,  a  tribu- 
tary of  the  Hoosic  river,  whither  they  removed,  and  where 
they  were  surrounded  by  everything  necessary  to  happiness 
and  ti'anquil  enjoyment.  Among  the  neighbors  they  were 
both  very  popular,  winning  golden  opinions  by  their  kind- 
ness to  the  sick,  their  generosity  to  the  poor  and  needy,  and 
their  hospitality  to  all  of  every  grade  in  life  who  entered 
within  their  peaceful  fl  oors.  In  this  way  they  passed  twelve 
years  of  uninterrupted  happiness,  during  which  time  Mrs. 
Keith  gave  birth  to  a  daughter  and  a  son,  between  whose 
ages  there  was  a  difference  of  nearly  eleven  years, — ^this  lat- 
ter liaving  been  born  in  the  spring  of  the  year  now  under 
review.  In  evory  hour  of  alarin,  therefore,  Mrs.  Keith  felt 
increased  anxiety  on  account  of  the  helpless  infant  which 
siie  held  in  her  arms.  Indulging  the  feelings  of  a  devoted 
p.ncl  an  attached  mother,  she  listened  with  breathless  solici- 
tude, to  all  the  rumortj  which  were  spread  concerniug  the 


!' 


'Works  of  Anu  Maria  Bl«eckcnr. 


*- 


866 


Lira  09  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BAR?. 


.rxi 


!   if 
i 


c**^'*  mprauding  bands  of  Indians,  sent  out  from  Canada  by  the 
««v^^i'onoh,  for  the  purpose  of  ruthless  devastation  upon  tlio 
1748»  property,  and  merciless  cruelty  upon  the  peroons  of  the  bor- 
derers. Rumor  with  her  thousand  tongues,  many  of  which 
spake  but  too  truly  in  this  case,  soon  repeated  the  nearer  and 
nearer  approach  of  another  band  of  the  dreaded  ministers 
of  French  and  savage  vengeance.  When  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  the  Indians  had  arrived  within  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  Edward,  and  were  seen  prowling  about  that  place, 
Mr«  Keith  dispatched  a  messenger  to  bring  his  brothers 
who  resided  there,  to  his  house  on  the  Touhama,— deeming 
his  residence  a  safer  sanctuary,  on  account  of  its  being 
more  interior.  One  of  his  brothers  had  been  married 
several  months  before,  and  his  wife  at  the  time  of  their 
flight  from  Fort  Edward^  was  in  a  peculiarly  delicate  situa- 
tion. •♦)/  :/s|i  u<  iK^mnat  «itiV/  >ilh  MJir-itrUy^mmii  .^»'fi; '\'\ 
>,  Kot  long  after  Mr.  Keith  had  thus  collected  his  relations 
around  him,  and  under  his  roof,  his  family  were  visited  by 
Botae  Indians  oif  the  St.  Francis  tribe,  who  had  pitched 
tli<sir  wigwams  a  dmall  distance  from  the  village  of  Schagh- 
ticoke.  These  were  hospitably  entertained,  and  were  per- 
mitted to  pass  several  hours  in  eating  and  drinking ;  during 
which  takne  much  conversation  passed  between  Mrs.  Keith 
and  her  savage  visitors.  To  soothe  her  apprehensions,  an 
bid  Indian  who  was  spokesman,  assured  her  that  the  family 
Imight  dismiss  their  fear,  and  solemnly  promised  that  in 
case  of  any  danger  she  should  be  seasonably  infonned,  and 
the  means  aitbrded  her  for  escape.  To  enforce  his  "  glozing 
lies,"  he  presented  her  with  a  belt  of  wampum,  paying, 
"  There,  receive  my  token  of  friendship.  We  go  to  dig  up 
thtj  hatchet,  to  sink  it  in  the  heads  of  your  enemies.  We 
shall  guard  this  word  with  a  rail  of  fire.  Yon  ehall  be 
safe. ' '  Still  farther  to  quiet  her  fears,  he  added  in  apparent 
anger  that  she  should  suspect  his  fidelity,  "  No  Maria,  I 
am  a  true  man.  I  shoot  the  arrow  up  to  the  Great  Captaia 
every  new  moon  ;  depend  upon  it,  I  will  trample  down  the 
briars  round  your  dwelling  that  you  do  not  hur+ your  feet. " 


.,«->^-' ^ 


Lin  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  J0n5S0N,   BART. 


867 


Theae  bland  words  seem  to  have  satisfied  Mrs.  Keith,  chap. 
^)^o\xfr\.  nor  husband,  with  greater  sagacity,  suspected  and  v-v-* 
feared  that  beneath  was  concealed  a  plan  for  their  destruc-  ^'*®* 
tion. 

The  next  morning  after  the  ominous  visit  of  the  savages, 
perhaps  for  the  purpose  of  dispelling  the  anxiety  of  his 
mind,  Mr.  Keith  proposed  a  hunting  excursion  to  his  brother 
Peter,  which  was  accepted,  and  they  sallied  forth  with  their 
guns  in  quesi  of  game.  Musing  upon  the  perils  that  sur- 
rounded their  families,  they  had  gone  several  miles  from 
home,  before  they  became  aware  of  tL :  diff^nce  they  had 
traveled.  At  that  moment  their  eye  caught  sight  of  a  fine 
doe,  at  which  Peter  leveled  his  piece,  and  brought  her  to 
the  ground.  But  scarcely  had  the  echo  of  the  explosion 
died  away  among  the  the  hills,  when  they  heard  a  rustling, 
followed  by  the  crack  of  a  ritie,  and  Peter  fell  forward 
pierced  by  two  balls  in  his  heart.  This  was  rapidly  fol- 
lowed by  the  rushing  of  two  savages  upon  them,  one  of 
whom  prepared  to  scalp  his  victim,  while  the  other  aimed 
his  gun  at  Mr.  Keith.  Quick  as  thought  Mr.  Keith  shot 
Ms  antagonist  dead  on  the  spot,  and  assailing  the  other 
Indian  with  the  butt  of  his  rifle,  prostrated  him  on  the 
ground.  Leaving  his  foes  for  depd,  he  placed  the  bleeding 
corpse  of  hit  brother  upon  his  horse,  and  hastened  home 
with  the  dire  ^itelligence. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  describe  the  scene  of  woe  that  fol- 
lowed his  arrival,  bearing  with  hira  the  dead  body  of 
a  brother,  who  a  few  hours  before,  had  been  in  the 
enjoyment  of  life  and  health.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  after 
having  washed  the  body  from  its  gore,  and  prepared  it  for 
the  grave,  th^^/  laid  it  in  an  upper  room,  designing  to  have 
the  obsequies  performed  the  foU  owing  day.  Under  cir- 
cumstances calculated  to  excite  no  great  alarm,  Mr.  Keith 
resolved  to  set  out  that  night  for  Schaghticoke,  to  procure 
fi  couple  of  wagons,  and  convey  his  family  to  Albany. 
Though  dissuaded  by  his  wife  from  going,  yet  ho  persisted 
iu  his  design,  and  accordingly  went,  leaving  lui  ufloctioutite 


ill 


;<{   * 


858 


LIFE   OP  SIR    WILLIAM   JOll' 


jJN,   DART. 


CHAP,  circio  behind  him,  which  he  fondly  hoped  to  Bee  again  in 
*-s — '  tho  courfio  of  a  /  hourfl,  and  greet  them  with  tidings  of 
^^*^-  hia  succcBs,  an-  !.j  certainty  of  being  soon  placed  beyond 
the  reach  of  danger.  But  he  had  not  been  gone  long, 
when  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  the  inmates  of  Mr.  Keith'u 
manHion  were  startled  by  voices  and  yells  of  Bavnges  sur- 
rounding the  house,  and  clamoring  for  admissiou.  Blow 
after  blow  was  made  upon  the  doors.  Every  moment 
increased  the  violence  of  the  assailants,  who  were  bent 
upon  deeds  of  blood.  Mrs.  Keith  pressed  her  children 
more  closely  to  her  heaving  bosom,  and  all  stood  petrified 
with  terror.  At  length  the  brother  of  Mr.  Keith,  who,  as 
I  have  already  mentioned,  had  been  lately  married, 
advanced  as  if  in  frantic  despair,  and  unbarred  the  door. 
Instantly  it  flew  open,  and  he  fell  pierced  with  balls,  and 
weltering  in  his  blood.  In  rushed  the  savages,  and  imme- 
diately began  the  work  of  death.  They  seized  the  prostrate 
husband  of  Cornelia,  and  tore  off  his  scalp  before  her  eyes. 
While  this  deed  was  perpetrating,  an  Indian,  hideously 
painted,  strode  up  to  Cornelia,  and  buried  his  tomahawk 
in  her  forehead.  Her  eyes  just  opened  as  the  blow 
descended,  and  then  closed  forever.  Perceiving  her  near 
approach  to  being  a  mother,  they  ripped  her  body  open,  and 
tearing  the  unborn  child  from  her  womb,  dashed  it  against 
the  wall. 

While  this  horrid  carnage  was  going  on,  another  Indian, 
— the  same  one  who  had  with  Punic  faith  presented  the 
belt  of  wampum  as  a  token  of  peace, — approached  Mrs. 
Keith,  who  sat  circling  her  children  in  her  arms,  and  utter- 
ing the  most  piteous  entreaties  for  mercy.  She  drew  forth 
and  showed  to  her  treacherous  foe,  the  belt,  and  appealed 
to  his  promise  made  when  he  gave  it  to  her.  But  she 
might  as  well  have  remonstrated  with  the  ferocious  tiger, 
when  hungry  for  prey.  He  only  replied  that  sJie  should  be 
spared,  and  "  dance  with  him  aronud  the  council  fire  in 
Canada" — and  then  with  a  sardonic  smile,  expressing  the 
fear  that  her  infant  son  would  only  incumber  her  on  the 


LIFE   or   8IR  W   LLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


869 


jouruey,  he  Heized  the  child  by  the  wrists,  and  tore  it  from  chap. 
her  embrace.     K   raged  apparently  at  her  resistance,  howv— ' 
dashed  its  forehead  aguinHf  the  wall,  uud  liurled  its  reeking  ^^**^' 
body  some  dial   uce    fVom  the  houHe.     Frenzied  by  the 
sight  she  ruH^  od  to  the  mangled  remains  of  her  loved 
infant,  red(  ubi.   ^  her  cries  of  angiiish,  ousting  herself 
upon  it't  bn-^v,  wipi'  ?  the  blood  from  its  ghastly  counto- 
nan-^'p,  <uk  , 


The  r    -ajr 
thatwfl; 
geunce,  t>    ii. 
daughter  An 


'  'f  i(  to  her  bosom.  ■ixiUf-'i  •   .ut^iA^    .,' 

•ng  plundered  the  house  of  everythi  >: 
,  t  d  those  who  had  escaped  their  \  en- 
•  iiuuse,  consisting  of  Mrs.  Keith,  her 
lovely  girl  in  her  twelfth  year,  and  a 
brother  of  Mr.  ii.rith.  They  then  completed  the  work  of 
destruction  by  tiring  the  building,  which  was  soon  enveloped 
in  flames.  But  Mrs.  Keith's  cup  of  sorrow  was  not  yet 
full.  Anna,  acting  as  if  she  thought  that  death  in  any  shape 
V(sa  to  be  preferred  to  being  in  the  hands  of  ruthless  bar- 
barians, to  whom  pity  was  a  stranger,  fled  precipitately 
back  to  the  house,  though  the  flames  were  bursting  forth 
in  every  direction,  and  entering  in,  secreted  herself  in  a 
closet,  where  she  remained  until  her  escape  became  impos- 
sible, and  perished  in  the  devouring  fire.  The  excruciating 
feelings  of  Mrs.  Keith,  on  being  compelled  to  behold  this 
funeral  pile  of  her  only  daughter,  can  readily  be  imagined. 
Words  fail  to  express  the  horror  which  must  have  filled 
her  bosom,  when  seeing  at  her  feet  the  mangled  remains 
of  one  child,  and  witnessing  the  raging  flames  that  were 
consuming  the  other,  by  a  most  agonizing  death.  She 
continued  calling  the  name  of  her  daughter  with  loud 
cries,  till  the  Indians,  impatient  at  her  delay,  compelled 
her  and  her  brother,  the  only  survivors  in  this  fearful  trage- 
dy, to  set  out  with  them  in  their  journey  to  Canada. 

The  remainder  of  the  story  is  soon  told.  On  her 
wearisome  journey  with  the  savages,  nothing  remarkable 
occurred  that  deserves  a  particular  mention.  As  might  be 
supposed,  she  8ufi:'ered  various  privations,  and  was  exposed 
to  great  fatigue.    Unaccustomed  to  their  mode  of  living, 


9m.  ^f/ 


'/ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


Hi  121    12^ 

2.0 


1.8 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


1-25      1.4       1.6 

■« 6"     

► 

4 


^ 


^ 


iV 


^ 


O 


s 


% 


.V 


^ 


6^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MSBO 

(716)  872-4503 


860 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


CHAP,  she  would  have  been  starved,  had  not  her  brother  prepared 
v-^^w  her  food,  and  ministered  to  her  necessities.  After  enduring 
1748,  numerous  perils  and  hardships,  she  at  last  reached  Canada. 
When  in  the  Indian  village,  to  which  her  captors  hastened, 
she  narrowly  escaped  having  her  brains  dashed  out  by  an 
old  hag,  who  seemed  determined  to  glut  her  vengeance 
upon  the  prisoners.  But  on  reaching  Montreal,  batuig 
some  painful  circumstances  which,  to  the  disgrace  of  civ- 
ilization were  allowed,  she  was  kindly  provided  for  by 
some  charitable  ladies,  one  of  whom  received  her  into  her 
house,  and  treated  her  with  the  kindness  of  a  sister. 

Thus  she  remained  in  the  house  of  this  charitable 
Samaritan,  till  she  was  at  last  found  by  her  husband.  The 
morning  after  the  deed  of  cruelty  which  has  been  described, 
was  perpetrated,  he  returned  with  two  wagons  to  carry  his 
family  to  Albany.  But  what  was  his  horror,  on  beholding 
his  house  burned  to  the  ground,  and  the  scene  of  ruin 
which  on  every  side  met  his  eye !  By  exploring  the  ruins, 
however,  he  found  the  bones  of  those  who  had  been  mur- 
dered, and  also,  which  touched  his  heart  to  the  quick,  the 
half  consumed  remains  of  his  infant,  bearing  yet  the  marks 
of  savage  violence.  Collecting  these  charred  bones,  and 
depositing  them  in  a  box,  he  returned  with  them  to  Schagh- 
ticoke,  where  they  were  decently  buried.  Resigning  him- 
self to  despair,  and  supposing  that  Indian  vengeance  had 
spared  not  a  single  object  of  his  affections,  he  joined  the 
colonial  army,  resolving  to  seek  death  by  placing  himself 
in  the  front  of  the  battle,  and  courting  places  of  the  great- 
est exposure.  But  the  bullets  passed  harmlessly  by  him, 
nor  could  he  find  the  death  he  sought.  At  length  the 
thought  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  yet  find  his  brother, 
who  possibly  had  not  fallen  a  victim.  Cherishing  the  idea, 
he  set  off  for  Canada,  availing  himself  of  the  opportunity 
of  accompanying  some  prisoners,  who  were  returning  to 
Quebec.  In  Canada  he  pursued  the  object  of  his  journej' 
with  indefatigable  ardor,  inquiring  of  every  officer  the 
names  of  prisoners  who  had  been  captured  during  the  war. 


/-»■<>■  I  I  ^M 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAHT. 


861 


On  arriving  at  Montreal,  he  was  immediately  introduced  ohab. 
to  the.  general  officer,  who  patiently  heard  his  story,  and  \~.y^ 
treated  him  with  great  clemency.    Having  obtained  per-  ^'^^• 
mission  to  remain  in  town  a  few  days,  he  respectfully  with- 
drew, and  turning  down  a  street  inquired  of  a  man  where 
lodgings  were  to  be  let.    The  stranger  turned  about  and 
civilly  took  off  his  hat,  when  whom  should  Mr.  Keith 
recognize  in  the  stranger,  but  his  brother  Henry  ?    By  him 
Mr.  Keith  received  the  delightful  intelligence  of  his  wife's 
preservation,  and  of  her  being  then  in  Montreal.    He 
speedily  flew  to  her  embrace.    The  rapture  of  the  reunion 
was  greater  than  she  could  endure.    She  flainted  in  his 
arms,  but  soon  recovered,  and  felt  that  the  joy  of  meeting 
com|>enBated  her  for  the  wearisome  months  of  sadness, 
grief  and  distraction  which  she  had  endured/if>i'>if'r'i  nl'^M- 

Nor  were  the  borders,  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp* 
shire  unmolested  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  this 
year.  Unable  to  obtain  assistance  from  their  own  govern- 
ment, the  inhabitants  of  the  exposed  settlements  of  New 
Hampshire  upon  the  Connecticut  river,  applied  to  Massa- 
chusetts, by  the  legislature  of  whicl^  a  garrison  of  one 
hundred  men  waBj>laced  in  the  fort  at  Charlestown,  called 
N^umber  Pour,  under  the  command  of  the  gallans  Cap- 
tain Stevens,  who  had  signalized  himself  by  his  bravery 
in  that  position  before.  His  second  in  command  was  Gap- 
tain  Humphrey  Hobbs.  Fort  Massachusetts  having  been 
rebuilt,  was  also  garrisoned  by  one  hundred  men,  and 
entrusted  again  to  its  former  commander,  Captain  Ephraim 
Williams — Ooionel  Jolin  Stoddard  of  Northampton,  having 
the  general  command  of  the  northern  and  western  frontiers 
of  that  colony.  Dying,  however,  in  the  month  of  June, 
that  eminent  man  was  succeeded  by  Ooionel  Israel  Wil- 
liams, of  Hartford. 

But  it  Was  not  garrison  duty  alone  which  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  Number  Four  were  required  to  perform.  They 
had  a  wide  extent  of  territory  to  guard  against  the  irrup- 
tions of  the  enemy,  extending  from  the  upper  Merrimac 

46 


XilfB  OF  flB  WILLUM  JOHHSOlf,  BART. 


CHAP,  country  to  Lake  Champlain,  and  a  suitable  number  of  men, 
^-v-'  from  both  forts,  were  required  to  be  ooustantlj  employed 
2748.  }q  ranging  the  forests  to  intercept  the  enemy  in  their  s&Uies 
from  Crown  Point,  and  the  great  Indian  rendezvous  of 
Bt.  Francis.    The  enemy  first  appeared  at  Charlestown 
about  the  middle  of  March,  when  a  party  of  thirty  Indians 
atta<^ed  «ight  of  Stevens's  men,  at  a  diort  distance  from 
the  fort.    Captain  Stevens  sallied  forth  for  their  rescue, 
and  brought  them  in  after  a  sharp  skirmish,  with  the  loss 
of  two  men,  one  of  whom  was  killed,  and  the  other  taken 
prisoner.    A  third  was  wounded.    A  yet  larger  party,  con- 
sisting of  eighteen  men  under  Captain  Melvin,  from  the 
same  garrison,  had  a  narrower  escape  in  the  month  of  May. 
Melvin  having  crossed  the  woods  to  the  shore  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain  opposite  Crown  Point,  imprudently  disclosed  hii^gelf 
'  ^o  the  enemy  in  that  fortress  by  firing  upon  two  cao^s  of 
Indians.    A  party  was  immediately  sent  out  from  the  fort 
to  intercept  him  on  his  return,  which  by  a  rapid  march 
gained  his  front.    Having  crossed  th9  enemy's  trail,  and 
thereby  discovered  his  design,  Melvin  endeavored  to  cir- 
cumvent him  by  changing  his  course  from  Charlestown, 
land  striking  down  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Rummer.  ^   But 
the  enemy  was  soon  upon  his  path,  and  in  close  pursuit, 
though  without  his  knowledge.    Arriving  at  "West  river, 
Melviu  incautiously  allowed  his  men  to  halt  and  amuse 
themselve.}  by  shooting  the  salmon  which  were  passing  up 
a  shoal  of  that  stream.    The  consequence  had  well  nigh 
been  fatal  to  the  whole  party,  since  the  enemy,  thus 
apprized  of  their  halt,  and  by  stealthy  observation  of  their 
'     amusement,  rushed  upon  them  unawares,  and  killed  sis  of 
.the  most  valuable  men,~-the  residue,  after  vainly  attempt- 
ing to  make  a  stand  against  superior  numbers,  making  their 
escape  to  Fort  Dummer.    A  month  afterward  a  party  of 
thirteen  men  on  the  route  from  Hinsdale  to  Fort  Dummer, 

1  Fort  Dummer,  frequently  spoken  of  in  the  early  border  wars,  was  first 
built  in  1728.  It  was  situated  on  the  Cotineoticat  rirer,  forty  miles  below 
■CharloBtown,  or  Number  Poor.   ^   g>«!>it*.'r/:V  J^^fii»>ii »  nai  l'.>^if'. 


1.--^ 


LUB  OV  8IB  WILUIM  JOHNSON,  BAKT. 


808 


felt  into  an  Indian  ambuscade,  and  were  all  bat  three  either  OHtf. 
killed  or  taken  priaoners. ^  ;  Kk!<«i.i  ''ify.urj^mi}m-TlsUAkim'ini''..~y^ 
The  history  of  this  feebly  conducted  contest  shows'  that  ^^^' 
in  a  large  mtyority  of  these  border  a^Bairs,  the  enemy  wa^ 
juccessftil — a  fact,  perhaps,  that  should  create  no  wonder, 
when  it  is  considered  that  his  movements  were  always  by 
gtealth,  and  his  attacks  by  surprise, — ^he  having  the  seleoo 
tion  of  time  and  place,  and  the  option  of  fighting  or  not, 
according  to  circumstances.    But  fortune  was  not  always 
taming  in  their  favor.  It  happened  that  on  the  twenty-sixth 
of  June,  while  Captain  Hobbe,  at  the  head  of  forty  men 
from  the  garrison  of  Number  Pour,  was  ranging  tho 
woods  west  of  the  Oonnecticut  river,  when  about  twelve 
miles  fh>m  Fort  Dummer,  he  was  attacked  by  a  Btrong 
body  of  Indians,  under  a  resolute  half-breed  chief  nam«d 
Saekett.    Hobbs  and  his  men  were  regaling  themselves  at 
their  knapsacks  at  the  moment  of  the  attack,  in  an  op^ening 
upon  a  rivulet  hedged  with  alders,  and  covered  with  largti 
and  towering  trees.    The  precaution  of  posting  sentinels, 
however,  had  not  been  omitted,  so  that  the  surprise  "waA 
less  oompletd  than  otherwise  it  would  have  been.    At  the 
instant  of  alarm,  each  man  selected  a  tree  for  hi?  cover, 
and  the  Indians  rushing  upon  the  heels  of  the  sentinels, 
were  in  the  onset  so  warmly  received  as  to  check  the£r 
advance.    The  Indians,  in  like  mannei^,  selected  trees  for 
theu*  protection ;  and  an  irregular  battle  succeeded  which 
lasted  four  hours.    The  two  captains  were  both  men  of 
coolness  and  courage.    They  were  personal  acquaintances, 
and  had  been  fiiends  before  the  war,  and  frequently  called 
out  to  each  other  in  the  course  of  the  fight— Saekett  claim-' 
ing — as  he  had — a  large  superiority  offeree,  and  demanding 
a>  surrender,  on  pain  of  the  indiscriminate  use  of  the  tom- 
ahawk in  case  of  refusal.    Hobbs,  with  stentorian  voice, 
refused  and  bade  defiance.    Less  cautious  than  the  English, 
the  Indians  several  times  exposed  themselves  by  attempting 
to  advance  to  a  hand  to  hand  contest,  but  were  as  often 


■■?>■. 


'^*"^'"'»-i-Si»-?*»t^V^^s^' 


864 


LIVB  OV  Sm  WILLIAH  JOHNSON,  BART. 


o^>  repnised,  with  severe  Iobb.  DiBoonraged,  at  length,  by  the 
^v-'  unyielding  courage  of  Hobbs  and  his  men,  and  probably 
1748.  forming  an  erroneous  estimate  of  their  strength,  the 
Indians  at  length  drew  off— dragging  off,  also,  their  dead, 
by  reason  of  which  their  loss  was  not  known.^  Many 
Indians,  however,  were  seen  to  fall,  and  the  battle  ground 
was  deeply  sanguine.  But  notwithstanding  the  dnration 
of  the  fight,  only  three  of  the  English  were  killed,  and 
the  same  number  wounded. '  The  strength  of  the  Indians 
was  «Btimated  at  one  hundred  and  sixty.  Still,  the  expe- 
dition of  >6aokett  was  not  altogether  bootless,  since,  a  fort- 
night afterward  he  surprised  a  party  of  seventeen  men 
between  Hinsdale  and  Fort  Dummer,  killed  two  and 
wounded  thie  isame  number,  and  made  nine  of  the  residue 
pii^Qoerp.  Four  escaped.  In  these  enterpriaes  it  i^eems 
Iq  hsfvp  b^en  the  desire  of  the  enemy  to  take  captives  rfither 
ilam  to  ki],l.  There  was  sound  policy  in  this ;  the  large 
amounts  received  irom  the  friends  of  the  captives  for  their 
Pinsom^  goong,  %  tow£(rd  defi:^^    th§  ezpeufies  of  the 

WW«Mi!tv(;'U"^  ^>h  '^H'.i\  ■P-"    .fv»*'*ii'TT<^  j>f«v*H  tArr,  ht>-'i  ,--i"'-i ■<'?•■ 'V 

Ml  iFort  Massachusetts  was  not  molested  until  past  midsum- 
mer. But  on  the  second  of  Aug^8t,  a  party  of  four  men 
being  engaged  at  some  distance  from  the  fort,  were  fired 
^pon  by  an  enemy  whose  presence  had  not  been  suspected. 
Captain  Williams  immediately  sallied  forth  for  their  res- 
cue wi^  Lieutenant  Hawley  and  thirty  men.  The  attack- 
i^, party,  apparently  small,  were  soon  driven  back;  but 
in  the  moment  of  fancied  safety,  an  ambuscade  of  thirty 
Indians  rose  and  poured  in  a  fire  upon  Williams's  right, 
Qi^oyjuoig  with  the  design  of  intercepting  his  return  to  the 

1  "In  Ml  battles  the  Indians  endeavor  to  conceal  their  loss,  and  in  effect- 
ing this,  they  sometimes  expose  themseWes  more  than  ib  combat  with  the 
enemy.  When  one  falls,  his  nearest  comrade  crawls  np,  under  cover  of  the 
ti^ees  and  brush,  and  fixing  a  tump  line  to  the  dead  body,  cautiously  drags 
it  to  the  rear.  Hobbs's  men  related  that  in  this  action  they  often  sait  the 
dead  bodies  of  the  Indiuis  sliding  along  the  ground,  as  if  by  enchantment." 
—Hoyt.    ' 


■t'iVi.ff 


'Hoyt's  Antiquiiu*.  "  "'  ]"'  "^'" 


:*r(ftj7     %^i    X>*Jk^»..fi     i> 


r 


Lira  OF  SIR  WILlUk  JOHNSON,  BART. 


865 


fort.  The  celerity  of  Williams's  movements,  however,  <«ap. 
frustrated  this  manoeuvre,  and  the  fort  was  reached  with  ^^-^^^ 
the  loss  of  only  one  man  killed  and  two  wonnded— one  of  ^^*^' 
whom  was  the  lieutenant.  It  soon  appeared  that  the 
escape  of  Williams  was  most  fortunate.  Indeed  it  must 
be  confessed  that  he  had  exhibited  singular  absence  of 
military  precaution  in  hazarding  a  sortie  with  so  small  a 
party,  while  ignorant  of  the  strength  of  his  enemy ;  three 
hundred  of  whom,  including  thirty  Frenchmen,  followed 
close  upon  his  heels  as  he  regained  the  fort,  and  commenced  a 
general  attack.  The  fire  was  sustained  on  both  sides 
about  two  hours ;  but  having  no  artillery,  the  enemy  was 
unable  to  make  any  impression  upon  the  works,  and  dieyr, 
off  with  a  loss,  the  amount  of  which  was  not  ascertained. 
The  enemy  was  shortly  afterward  more  successful  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Fort  Dummer,  where  a  party  of  seven 
under  Lieutenant  John  Sargeants,  was  defeated,  the  com-, 
mander  being  among  the  killed,  and  the  survivors  made 
prisoners,*  ,  ,        , 

Meanwhile  serious  trouble  began  to  manifest  itself 
among  the  troops  stationed  at  Albany  and  along  the  front- 
iers, in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of  supplies.  Many  of 
the  men  deserted,  ard  some  of  the  officers  resigned  their 
commissions,  flatly  refusing  to  serve  longer.'  The  assem- 
bly was  not  to  meet  until  October,,  and  the  commissioners 
refiised  to  execute  the  orders  which  the  governor,  by  the 
advice  of  his  council,  had  given  them  for  supplying  the 
troops, — urging  as  an  excuse  that  they  had  not  been  so 
authorized  by  the  assembly.  The  governor  was  exceed- 
ingly chafed  by  this  refusal  of  the  commissioners  to  act. 
This  appears  in  all  of  his  correspondence  at  this  time,  but 
especially  in  his  correspondence  with  Colonel  Johnson, 
with  whom  he  was  now  on  terms  of  intimacy.    In  a  letter 

'Hoyt'B  Antiquitiet. 

'Manuscript  letter,  Johnson  to  Olinton  ;  also  manuscript  letter  to  John- 
son from  Captain  Stoddard,  then  in  command  at  Schenectady.  r(,.,(,„Kn  <: 


866 


LUH  OV  SIB  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BAB!. 


"       I 


UHAF.  imder  date  of  October  fifth,  the  following  passage  occurs : 
w^w  "  By  a  letter  I  have  from  Captain  Stoddard  that  no  pro- 
1748.  vigiong  are  gone  up,  I  conclude  it  was  designedly  neglect- 
ed by  the  commiasioners  in  order  to  distress  the  service 
and  disband  the  troops  sooner  than  I  thought  it  necessary ; 
and  with  a  great  deal  of  assurance,  declared  that  even  if 
they  were  served  with  an  order  from  the  council  they 
would  not  obey  it !  What  a  low  ebb  is  the  governor  and 
council  of  New  York  driven  to,  that  their  orders  are 
refused  for  three  weeks  provisions  for  a  few  men.  *  * 
*  *  Formerly  the  governor  and  council  had  the  disposal 
of  eveiy  shilling,  and  did  it  all  in  council  by  warrant, 
without  consulting  the  assembly  or  anybody/'^ 

Those  persons  have  read  little,  and  have  thought  still 
less,  who  suppose  that  the  revolt  of  the  colonies  was  the 
result  of  a  moment.  The  controversies  betweeii  the 
assembly  alid  the  executive;  the  seeming  apathy  of  the 
house  to  provide  for  the  safety  of  the  frontiers,  and  its 
general  indifference  in  providing  the  needed  supplies  of 
which  Mr.  Clinton  so  bitterly  complains,  had  in  fact  their  use 
not  so  much  in  an  unconcern  for  the  welfare  of  the  colonies 
as  in  a  fixed  determination  to  resist  the  encroachments  of  the 
crown.  Still  it  must  be  frankly  admitted,  that  the  assem- 
bly were  often  in  the  wrong,  and  that  much  of  this  treat- 
ment of  the  governor  was  harsh  and  ill-judged. 

In  the  assembly,  which  met  upon  the  twelfth  of  Octo- 
ber, the  governor  determined  to  reassert  the  prerogative 
in  the  strongest  terms  by  bringing  the  subject  of  a  perma- 
nent supply  to  direct  issue ;  choosing  as  an  able  writer  has 
remarked,  New  York  '*  as  the  opening  scene  in  the  final 
contest  that  led  to  independence."*  Accordingly  on  the 
fourteenth  Mr.  Clinton  sent  down  his  message  to  the 
house,  in  which,  after  congratulating  them  upon  the  near 
prospect  of  a  general  peace,  he  demanded  a  permanent 
support  for  five  years.    The  message  stated  that  on  coming 


1  Manasoript  letter. 


■u'.m- 


uml  1)0' 


i  ■ 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BARX. 


807 


to  the  ftdministration  of  the  government,  he  had  been  ohap. 
disposed  to  do  all  he  could,  consistently  with  his  duty  to  ^v-' 
the  king,  for  the  care  and  satisfaction  of  the  people.  ^^^^' 
Hcnoe,  reposing  confidence  in  the  advice  then  given  him, 
lie  had  given  his  assent  to  various  acts  of  the  assembly, 
the  tendency  of  which,  as  experience  had  taught  him,  was 
to  weaken  the  authority  of  his  majesty's  government.  Still, 
as  the  country  was  very  soon  afterward  involved  in  war, 
he  had  forborne  to  take  that  attitude  in  the  premises  which 
duty  to  his  sovereign  seemed  to  require.  But  with  the  return 
of  peace,  he  deemed  it  to  be  his  indispensable  duty  to  put 
a  stop  to  such  innovations.  Prominent  among  these  was 
the  practice  which  had  been  growing  up,  of  making  only 
an  anmud  provision  for  the  payment  of  the  officers  of  the 
government.  He  also  alluded  to  the  modem  practice  of 
naming  the  officers,  for  whose  benefit  the  appropriations 
were  made,  in  the  act— thus  interfering  with  the  preroga- 
tive in  the  appointing  honor.  He  admonished  the  assem- 
bly that  he  should  give  his  assent  to  no  acts  of  that 
character  for  the  future ;  and  demanded  an  appropriation 
for  the  payment  of  the  governor's,  secretaries,  judges  and 
other  salaried  officers,  for  the  term  of  five  years,  accord- 
ing to  the  practice  that  had  prevailed  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  his  four  immediate  predecessors,  namely, 
Governors  Hunter,  Burnett,  Montgomery,  and  Cosby. 
The  inconvenieaces  of  these  annual  grants  of  salaries  and 
allowances,  "W.  >>  ^vlverted  to,  and  objections  farther  urged 
against  the  recent  method  of  intermixing  matters  of  an 
entirely  different  nature  with  the  provisions  of  the  salary 
bills,  and  tacking  new  grants  for  other  purposes  to  the 
governor's  own  support.  The  governor  desired  them 
farther  to  make  immediate  provision  for  the  payment  of 
the  tro(^  at  Albany,  and  on  the  frontier ;  recommended 
that  the  troops  should  be  continued  at  Albany ;  and  con- 
cluded by  calling  the  attention  of  the  assembly  to  a  debt 
of  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  pounds,  due 
to  Colonel  Johnson  for  disbursements  made  by  that  gentle- 


868 


LZf ■  or  BIB  WILUAM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


'i 


u 

pi, 


1 


a  .« 


•|.^ 


i,     !'•♦ 


1748, 


CHAF.  man  In  the  public  service,  and  which  had  been  allowed 
'  and  ordered  to  be  paid  by  an  act  of  the  preoeeding  sesgion. 
Owing  to  a  deficiency  in  the  fundi,  upon  which  't  was 
directed  to  be  charged,  the  money  had  not  been  paid; 
and  the  inconvenience  of  being  kept  bo  long  out  of  bo 
large  a  Bum  of  money,  was  so  great,  that  it  was  only  with 
much  difficulty  that  he  had  been  enabled  to  persuade 
the  colonel  to  undertake  again  the  supplying  of  the  imports 
ant  garrison  at  Oswego. 

The  assembly,  in  its  reply,  justly  regarding  the  request 
for  a  permanent  supply  as  a  direct  attempt  to  render  the 
crown  independent  of  the  people,  with  great  indignation, 
refused  to  grant  it  As  to  the  more  recent  practice  of 
naming  the  officers  provided  for  in  the  salary  bills,  it  not 
only  justified  it,  but  intimated  that  if  this  course  had 
been  adopted  at  an  earlier  day,  his  excellency  woul^  not 
have  been  able  to  remove  the  third  justice  of  the  supreme 
court  "  without  any  color  of  misconduct"  on  his  part— 
who  was  "  a  gentleman  of  learning  and  experience  in  the 
law."*  Respecting  the  other  matters  in  the  message,  it 
replied,  that  it  saw  no  reason  for  burdening  the  colony 
with  the  troops  in  Albany,  declaring  that  the  troops  at 
Oswego  were  quite  sufficient  in  time  of  peace  for  the 
protection  of  the  province.  It  passed  however,  a  bill 
granting  three  thousand  six  hundred  pounds  for  the 
pay  of  the  troops  on  the  frontier,  but  ignored  entirely  the 
claim  of  Colonel  Johnson.  The  result  can  readily  be  seen. 
After  continual  bickerings  for  several  weeks,  Mr.  Clinton, 
in  great  wrath,  prorogued  the  assembly. 

Thus  the  parties  separated,  and  thus  again  commenced 
that  great  struggle  between  the  republican  and  the  mon- 
archal principle,  wh  ich  in  the  onward  progress  of  the 
former  was  destined  at  a  day  not  even  then  far  distant,  to 
work  such  mighty  results  in  the  western  hemisphere. 


%-!■ 


Ir 


y-lE 


I  Alluding  to  the  remoral,  the  year  before,  of  Justice  Horsmanden.  This 
aot  was  again  imputed  to  the  influence  of  "  a  person  of  a  mean  and  despi- 
cable character" — meaning,  as  it  was  well  trnderstood,  Doctor  Golden. 


Lira  09  SIR  WILLIAM  JOUMflOK,  BABT. 


9n 


Although  hostilities  were  suBpended  between  thooKAr* 
belligerents,  whose  armies  were  contending  in  the  Nether-  w^w 
lands,  immediately  after  the  preliminaries  were  signed  at  ^^^ 
Aix  La  Ghapelle,  yet  it  was  long  before  the  forces  at  sea 
were  apprized  of  the  fact.  Meantime  Admiral  Boscawen, 
in  the  East  Indies,  having  invested  Pondicherry  by  land 
and  water,  was  compelled  to  retire  with  signal  discomfit- 
ure. Bear  Admiral  Knowles,  too, — the  same  who  had 
rendered  himself  so  deservedly  unpopular  at  Boston  the 
year  before, — continued  to  prosecute  the  contest  in  the 
"West  Indies  with  various  success.  With  a  squadron  of 
eight  ships  he  attacked  fort  St.  Louis,  on  the  south  side 
of  St  Domingo,  which  after  a  warm  action  of  three  hours 
was  surrendered  on  capitulation  and  dismantled.  But  he 
afterward  made  an  abortive  attempt  upon  St.  lago  de  Cuba, 
at  the  result  of  which  he  was  greatly  chagrined.'  Early 
in  October  Admiral  Knowles,  while  cruising  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Havana,  with  eight  ships  of  the  line,  fell  in 
with  a  Spanish  sq  idron  of  nearly  equal  force,  command- 
ed by  Admiral  Beggio,  and  a  severe  engagement  ensued, 
which  lasted  six  hours,  commencing  at  two  o'clock  in  th^ 
afternoon,  knd  ending  at  eight.  Knowles  himself  began 
the  action  in  gallant  style,  but  being  seriously  disabled, 
Mb  ship  was  coxhpelled  to  drop  astern  of  the  squadron, 
and  was  not  aftei'waM  engaged  in  the  line ;  but  being 
borne  down  upon  by  the  enemy,  and  another  ship  coming 
to  his  assistance,  a  struggle  sharp  and  bloody  ensued.  The 
Spanish  commander,  notwithstanding  the  inferiority  of 
his  force,  was  at'  one  time  confident  of  victory ;'  but  tlie 
fortunes  of  the  day  were  against  him,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  put  into  the  Havana  with  the  loss  of  two  ships ; 
and  a  third  was  destroyed  the  next  day  to  prevent  her  from 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  English.  Admiral  Knowles 
taxed  some  of  his  men  with  misbehavior  in  this  afiair, 
and  he  was  accused  in  turn.     Several  of  the  officers  were 

1  Smollett. 

'Spanish  official  aooountia  th«  Oentleman's  I|Iagazine  for  April  1749. 

47 


ITO 


Lira  OV  ■»  WILLUM  JOUHSON,  BABT. 


I.   i 


:■<    ,  -5 'I 


OM^.  tii«d  by  a  court  martial,  and  reprimanded,  and  Enowles 
w^^  himself  was  tried  in  December,  1749.   The  court  acquitted 
1748.  ^^j^  Q^  f^^Q  charge  of  cowardice ;  awarding  him  on  the 
oontrary,   the  merit  of  great  personal  bravery.    But  he 
was  nevertheleu  found  guilty  of  negligence  in  hit  arrange- 
uents,  in  several  particulars,  and  ordered  to  be  repri- 
manded.^   Higb  feelings  of  animosity  arose  among  the 
officers,  who  either  took  sides  with  pr  against  the  admiral, 
and  several  duels  were  the  consequence,  in  one  of  which 
a  Captain  Jarvis  was  mortally  wounded  by  his  antagouist 
Captain  Clark.'    But  according  to  both  English  and  Span- 
ish accounts  the  action  was  bravely  fought  on  both  sides. 
As  it  proved  it  was  a  needless  waste  of  life.   ■,,,l^i   ,i,  -,, 
...The  definite  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  and  signed 
on  the  seventh  day  of  October  at  Aix  La  Chapelle ;  and 
considering  the  circumstances  under  which  it  wa^  con. 
eluded,  and  the  relative  strength  of  the  parties  and  the 
condition  of  the  alliance  at  the  head  of  which  was  Eng- 
land, for  a  farther  prosecution  of  the  contest,  it  was  a  most 
inglorious  peace.'    Thus  ended  the  '^old  French  war," 
produced  by  the  wickedness  of  Frederick,   "  the  evils  of 
which  were  felt  in  lauds  where  the  name  of  Prussia  was 
unknown ;  and,  in  order  that  he  might  rob  a  neighbor 
whom  he  had  promised  to  defend,  black  men  fought  on 
the  coast  of  Coromandel,  and  red  n^eu  scoped  by  the 
great  lakes  of  North  America."*      ♦  •^i  «,  im  *.-  f^  ,.- 

1  Proceedings  of  the  court  martial,  ride  Ctantleman's  Magasine, 
>Sraollett.  W/Hrtl  ,'f'>bn<-niittt^v-  n^iiwiiii 

*TliiB  contest  waa  called  "tiie  old  French  war."  It  was  in  fact  begun 
b7  Frederick  the  Qreat,  by  an  ui\)u8t  and  rapacioui  attack  upon  the  Em- 
press-Queen Maria  Theresa,  for  the  purpose  of  vresting  Siberia  ftrom  her. 
It  invoWed  the  irorld  in  arms.  The  respeotiTe  alliances  on  the  one  aide, 
were  the  king  of  Great  Britain,  the  empress-queen,  the  statea-goTeraon 
of  the  United  Provinces,  and  the  king  of  Sardinia,  with  several  smftUer 
princes  as  auxiliaries  On  the  other  side,  waa  the  alliance  of  France,  Spain, 
(claiming  the  Austriain  succession,)  the  infant  Don  Philip,  brother  of  the 
king  of  Spain  and  son-in-law  of  the  king  of  France,  with  the  republic  of 
Genoa  and  the  duke  of  Madrid.  .!f'..<i    ji', 

«Maoaulejr's  lifoof  Fraderiok  tha  Great.       ■.  „,,jji);, ,,  ^^^^^^  ^^...^ 


Lim  or  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNBON,  BAXl, 


871 


Meanwhile    the    Confederates    worb   again  becoming  ohmt. 
Bolioitous  for  those  of  their  warriors  who  were  still  languish-  w^^ 
ing  in  chains  in  Canada.'    The  promises  made  to  them,  at  ^'^' 
the  council  at  Albany,  by  Clinton  and  Johnson,  of  the 
speedy  release  of  their  brethren,  had  quieted  thom  for  a 
time.    But  now,  as  month  after  month  passed  away  and 
nothing  was  acomplishod,  they  doubted  the  power  of  the 
English  to  bring  this  about,  and  thought  seriously  of 
taking  the  matter  into  their  own  hands.    Johnson  feared 
this  himself,  for  in  a  letter  written  at  this  time  to  QoTemot 
Clinton  upon  the  suligect,  he  says: — "There  is  not  one  of 
our  Indians  suffered  to  come,  nor  any  of  the  Christians 
who  were  taken  with  them,  which  is  very  hard,  and  will 
be  the  means,  I  reckon,  of  all  the  Five  Kationii  going 
down  now  to  Canada  to  get  them."    There  was  indeed 
cause  for  alarm ;  and  it  >  ;^quired  the  most  strenuuus  ezer* 
tions  of  Colonel  Johnson  to  keep  the  Mohawks  quietly  at 
their  castles^  until  the  teorms  of  the  exchange  of  prisoners 
could  be  settled.    This  was  no  easy  matter ;  and  through- 
out  the  remainder  of  the  year  the  attention  of  Mr.  Clin- 
ton was  chiefly  occupied  in  successive  negotiations  with 
GhdisBoni^ite,  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners.    But  notwith- 
standing the  evident  approach  of  peace,  and  an  arrange- 
ment for  a  cessation  of  arms  in  Europe,  the  French 
governor  opposed  various  obstacles  in  the  way  of  an  equita- 
ble and  prompt  exchange.    Mr.  Clinton  had  sent  two  flags 
of  truce  without  uuccess,  particularly  in  reference  to  the 
captive  warriors  of  the  Six  ligations,  who,  as  before  hinted, 
were  becoming  exceedingly  restive  under  the  delay,— so 
mnch  ao,  ihdeedi,.  as  to  lead  them  to  send  a  special  deputa- 
tion of  their  chiefs  to  New -York  at  the  close  of  Septem- 
ber, to  plead  with  the  governor  upon  the  subject."    There 
were  likewise  many    prisoners  in    Canada,  males  and 
females,  inhabitants  of  the  frontiers,  who  had  been  carried 
away,  and  who  were  of  course,  with  their  friends,  anxious 


1  Manuscript  letter ;  J.  WilliamB  to  Mi^or  Lydiua. 
•See journals  of  th6 council.  "  "  '        ■•  •  •"•  -O 


■'<(■>■' aao  Hi 


3^ 


LIfB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHKBON,  BART. 


cw*.for  their  return.^ 

IS. 


174Ji. 


I 


But  the  difficulty  ■v^ras  not  bo  much  in 
'  relation  to  the  ex^chdnge  of  the  English  tor  the  French 
prigonors,  as  it  was  in  reference  to  the  exchange  of  the 
Mohawks  for  an  equal  number  of  the  French  held  as 
prisoners  in  New  York.  La  Galissoni^re,  claimed  that 
ijhe  Mohawks  were  an  independent  nation,  and  as  such, 
qualified  to  treat  alone  with  him  upon  the  subject;  while 
Clinton  justly  maintained  that  by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht, 
the  Mohawks  were  the  dependants  and  subjects  of  the 
British  ■c^own.  rH  i-fr! t  .tT',rj>  f?^ 

'  Instead  therefore,  of  meeting  the  views  of  Mr.  Clinton 
and  proceeding  at  once  to  a  general  exchange,  Galisso- 
nii^re  released  only  a  few,  sending  a  return  flag,  with 
seven:  officers,  eighteen  privates,  and  four  Canadiun 
Lidians,  iiccompanied  by  some  propositions  to  which +"'0 
governor  of  New  York  refused  "-o  accede.  On  the  a!rri\«i 
of  this  formidable  company  at  Albany,  Colonel  Johnson's 
suspicions  were  aroused  that  all  was  not  right;  and  he 
would  hot  allow  them  to  proceed  to  New  York,  until  per- 
mission to  tliat  effect  had  been  received.'  That  permis- 
sion hating  been  given,  the  French  party,  the  leader  of  whom 
was  M.  Francis  Marie,  proceeded  at  once  to  New  York. 
TKy  embassy  was,  however,  bootless  as  appears  by  the  fol- 
lowing passage  taken  from  a  long  manuscript  letter  upon 
this  iand  other  subjects,  addressed  by  Mr.  Clinton  to  Colonel 
Johnson  on  the  fifth  of  October : — •"  As  the  commandant 
of  this  party  is  avery  pretty  gentleman,  it  grieves  me  much 
that  I  can't  send  any  of  his  people  back  with  him,  as  it 
might  be  of  great  service  in  recommending  him  to  the 
governor.  But  his  letter  is  so  haughty,  and  indeed  rather 
insolent,  that  I  am  obliged  to  stick  on  punctilios.  His 
detaining  our  Christian  prisoners  from  us  in  time  of  peace, 
is  not  right.    Yet  if  he  had  sent  one  or  two  of  the  Indians 

1  Manuscript  letter  ftom  Peter  Van  Sohaick  to  Colonel  Johnson, — written 
acthis  time,  while  a  prisoner  in  Canada, — begging  that  the  latter  would  use 
his  earnest  efforts  to  obtain  his  speedy  release. 

-  Mauuscript  letter ;  ColonelJohnson  to  Qovernor  Clinton.      .,, 


/. 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


878 


back  in  room  of  the  five  of  his  I  sent,  something  might  chap. 
have  been  done.  But  the  poor  gentleman  must  go  backw,,,-/ 
as  he  came,  and  thank  his  own  governor's  indiporetion  for  i'^^* 
putting  things  on  a  wrong  footing."  >       ,   ,, 

Thus  matters  stood  until  the  end  of  the  year.  Nothing 
definite  was  arrived  at  in  relation  to  the  exchange  ;  and 
although  there  were  no  active  hostilities,  yet  the  year 
closed,  leaving  all  parties  mutually  dissatisfied,  and  equally 
suspicious  of  the  designs  of  each  other.  ^'^"  • 

.i§i   modi    bU-tj^- ;Jl     ■iiiMJf*    .i*d     ;ijl.i     :  ■»    il.;i.;|  ;/    i'J — ilOji.lii.  >  >.. 

urns')  '-'o  iv^i UH^>t\'iilY  inoii  'jdi  Mn^'l  :-'i  i^im.Ay-^hiO' >  oivj  ^  V 
'iliA-fr    ; iiot.'.Mt''.>v;'VifV'»70i)  'to  'nurtr.»j'if-ii^  v?.v  ^tuirn}-!)!!  'to 

JW  ^lOaO^ruJ. •(<>;>.)■  <[.'{  iil'»iv   Y'.'iij  •siiJvr-'  .1m!;:.iI    :'iilh-  ;.»l{^  H!) 

'milt  moil  *H9m$-t:f   -iwiij   ijoah:^'!  oi  iviV/'-i   -..!/  'siol  iHiyo''/' 
><.  .  -  (^iivijipsu 

4i '^]l{}'>dfl(j  lu  ■I'JMiiru  .'tjjrtii    U  Hhi;    Mr>''!Hl<l,   !;»;lo!'/J  <;T 

14f>fY  oi    f)'i;>ij-t>n;   ■'■in/  ^>J7/jijJ'-i/' '  mi      .vilion  ^>iU.uill;>'1J:  / 

.,6>Jw{. ■>;:,;/'   '.fH     !;y    rtiiif  ■>!{;   t\u  .■;r;.,rit''-*'i  Ji      -/i     y.''Ul\'.:i\HV-  ■'•'>ii 
.iTtlf-;;*    r.-  ^i'Mlui'li'n'H    •'ll"i   ■.■jo!:,;    -.du    Mi, ■>,■/■  1'mI/;|.'-;    );I)    'i:;'^ 

'li  lvJ';'>''"'2'-;ii  ■'•»'/  ^  .l/i   .i-i'M  :  ,1,7;  -liotlj    *  ( ■  ■■r.ittli  I'siit?  .•;;:    ■  f 
•  I/^'^l  -'     'M     \VCin]i    }.-Mn,jiV}<\    ^1(1     'i^ifcnff   ,:j>Mi'   ;ii*    li!    [{ilj    -1,0 

I'M":''  Hi^i)'i>>\':  ■lil'i'     .■■■h.''i'',  -'■■.^    nMU    {■'••iv/'     ■■,;,ii;::   .'.nlo'l 

•n^itmi  (/iii!'i-/i)..  :.■;  •.^.l';;!  ■  •''  ii'-M /^  .••••;-■>[(;  i;.  ni>(u!:')  .1^' 
h't'',*!j->      './u-n'Uf      N,'"i-v.     ,.  ;if.-.'i'      J!     'If'''     Wm-it!  !■• 
')i;t  '!o  HOiM'Mij    ii)    iKfif!  •    n  ^;^^  ;.v;  i."   .;;  .li'^n    ■•t.ihi:"  ^m/I'jJ 
ib'''"'  V(u  Mijt    •  •|o;"!'j7t>"^ -Ml  r  .'i'vJ       'f    )V)'ir  ■■■' ■■,;-'^.i-,'[ 

,^>    ^H    I!-;.'    f-vfii    I'Uii    .((■■))!'    '      .^•■    ••!     l-i/t<       ■;        11      'i:-'-''>   lU 


Hf   1' 


M^iiC'''   i' 


!J  ;•.:..!.. 


PI 


R^^ 


'"ff  t 


■'"Mor.  ifn.Liiyi  rtn 


•  tN ' 


itiitr-;  T  jjil  >:  fvrh  :>("    '■ 


■.■■'\:i  til  31';!;  { 


sjwiH^'A    .fH'rv -vie H AFTER  X.   ».-.  vt-;;e^3t  !?p(!'r 

fuiK  '.iyf^i\mf''r/y>  '':th  •    -tnAQ 1750     ''  •''■■"•'"'" ''^■''  ''*•''"  "'' 

The  exchange  of  prisoners  still  continued  to  be  the  sttb- 

puj^  ject  of  a  lengthy    correspondence   between  the    royal 

'*•   governors.     The  Six  Nations  yet  retained  in  their  posses- 

1749.  Bion  several  of  the  French,    uncertain — as  in  turn  they 

were  influenced  by  the  French  emissaries,  or  by  Colonel 

Johnson — to  which  of  the  governors  to  yield  them  up. 

To  the  Confederates  at  least,  the  final  disposition  of  their 

prisoners  was  a  subject  of  grave  consideration.    Should 

they  treat  directly  with  La  Galissoni^re,  they  were  fearful 

of  incurring  the  displeasure  of  Governor  Clinton ;    while 

on  the  other  hand,  should  they  yield  up  their  prisoners  to 

Colonel  Johnson,  they   feared  that  by  so  doing,  they 

would  lose  the  power  to  redeem  their  braves  from  their 

captivity. 

To  Colonel  Johnson  this  delicate  matter  of  effecting  a 
transfer  of  the  prisoners  into  his  hands,  was  entrusted ;  and 
after  considerable  negotiation,  rendered  necessary  by  their 
vascillating  course,  the  Mohawks  were  induced  to  yield 
up  twelve  of  their  prisoners.  This  transfer,  however,  was 
accompanied  by  a  request,  on  the  part  of  the  Mohawks, 
that  the  colonel  would  not  allow  the  Frenchmen  to  return 
home,  until  those  of  their  warriors,  who  yet  languished  in 
the  jail  at  Quebec,  should  be  brought  down  to  Crown 
Point,  and  delivered  into  his  hands.  The  success  of  his 
negotiations,  the  colonel  immediately  communicated  to 
Mr.  Clinton  in  a  letter,  which  the  latter  at  once  laid  before 
his  council  for  its  action.  Several  months  elapsed 
before  farther  orders  touching  the  final  disposition  of  the 
prisoners  were  received  from  the  governor ;  during  which 
interval,  the  colonel  received  them  into  his  own  house, 
treating  them  with  much  kindness  and  consideration. 


..^0lt**^' 


LIVB  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


875 


Meanwhile  the  Mohawks,  always  suspicious,  and  not  chap. 
understanding  the  delays  and  forms  of  diplomatic  inter- v_^ 
course,  began  to  be  apprehensive  lest  the  object  they  had  1749, 
in  delivering  up  their  prisoners  might  not  be  attained. 
These  apprehensions  were  likewise  increased  by  messages 
which  the  wily  La  Galissoni^re,  with  artful  tact,  continued 
to  send  to  the  Mohawks,  inviting  them  to  come  to  Quebec, 
and  treat  in  person  for  their  braves.  This,  as  it  was 
designed,  only  increased  their  ill  temper, — conscious  that 
they  had  lost  the  power  to  do  this,  when  they  allowed  the 
Frenchmen  to  go  out  of  their  hands.  Their  discontent  at 
first  manifested  itself  in  angry  looks  and  dark  hints,  until 
finally,  unequivocal  symptoms  showed  that  they  designed 
taking  the  matter  into  their  own  hands,  by  wresting  back 
by  force  that  which  they  had  so  unwillingly  granted.  So 
deeply  rooted  had  their  disaffection  become,  and  so  widely  , 
had  it  spread,  that  the  colonel  himself  feared  that  even 
his  influence  would  not  much  longer  avail  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  prisoners.  In  this  strait,  he  at  once  wrote  to 
Mr.  Clinton,  stating  the  situation  of  afi&irs  and  his  own 
fears.    The  governor  immediately  replied  as  follows : 


"Sir: 


"Kew  York  June  7,  1749. 


"I  have  the  favor  ot  yours  of  twenty-sixth  of  last 
month,  and  am  well  pleased  with  the  accounts  you  give  me 
of  your  conduct  with  the  Indians.  You  may  assure  the 
Mohawks  that  the  reason  of  my  not  sending  back  the 
French  prisoners  which  you  have  in  your  hands,  is  in 
order  to  secure  the  return  of  their  people  who  are  prison- 
ers in  Canada,  and  that  their  people  shall  not  have  their 
liberty  on  any  conditions  but  that  of  the  liberty  of  the 
Indians  who  are  prisoners  in  Canada ;  that  all  these  mes- 
sages from  the  governor  of  Canada  are  only  an  artifice  to 
draw  them  to  Canada  in  order  to  make  mean  and  shameftil 
submissions  to  him  there.  And  in  order  to  prevent  any  of 
their  people  making  such  a  shameful  step,  so  disgraceful  to 
their  nation,  you  must  endeavor  to  persuade  them  to  deli v  or 


»7ff 


LIVB  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  J0HN80K,  BART. 


1 


1749. 


*'"^''  the  remaining  prisoners  into  yotir  hands  that  they  may  be 
'  kept  safe  till  the  liberty  of  the  Indians  be  secured.  And 
for  this  purpose,  if  you  have  any  apprehensions  that  the 
French  now  at  your  house  cannot  be  safely  kept  there, 
you  are  to  send  them  to  Albany  to  the  sheriff,  there  to  be 
kept  in  jail  till  such  time  as  he  shall  receive  my  orders 
for  their  liberty.  If  you  think  it  may  be  attended  with 
any  inconvenience  to  keep  the  French  in  prison  at  Albany, 
then  you  may  send  them  down  to  New  York  where  I  shall 
take  care  to  have  them  secured. 

Inclosed  is  an  order  to  the  sheriff  to  receive  the  prisoners 
from  you,  and  to  keep  them  in  safe  cu8tody,''^'^''i>!f' J'*  ■'  i' 

"But  as  the  Indians  are  frequently  very  humorsome, 
and  there  must  be  some  regard  had  to  it,  you  are  allowed 
to  take  some  latitude  in  the  execution  of  these  orders,  by 
delaying  the  full  execution  of  them,  till  you  inform  ibe  of 
any  inconvenience  which  you  may  apprehend  may  attend 
the  strict  observance  of  them.  I  have  received  no  orders 
from  court  relating  to  the  liberty  of  prisoners,  and  I  delay 
sending  to  Canada  for  their  liberty  in  expectation  of 
receiving  such,  and  am, 

I'  Sir,  Your  very  humble  servant, 

"G.  Clinton,;' 

On  the  reception  of  this  letter  Colonel  Johnson  sum- 
moned both  of  the  Mohawk  castles  together,  and  used 
all  his  influence  to  divest  them  of  their  suspicions,  and  per- 
suade them  to  leave  the  exchange  of  the  prisoners  entirely 
with  Mr.  Clinton.  In  this  he  succeeded ;  but  only  after 
great  eilort,  and  by  the  payment  to  the  Indians  of  large 
sums  of  money  out  of  his  own  purse.  The  Mohawks 
were  also  induced  at  the  same  time  to  deliver  up  to  him 
the  remainder  of  their  captives,  thus  increasing  the  num- 
ber under  his  protection  to  nineteen.      ,  „- 

Scarcely  had  this  affair  been  amicably  arranged,  when 
another  difficulty  arose,  which  for  a  little  while  threat- 
ened to  mar  the  harmony  between  the  Indians  and  tlio 


LIFE   OF  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


877 


English.    This  time,  however,  the  trouble  had  its  origin  chap. 
in  the  indiscreet  conduct  of  a  few  whites.    It  seems  that  — v— * 
some  traders  from  Albany  and  the  adjacent  settlements,  ^^^®- 
in  going  their  yearly  rounds  among  the  difterent  cantons 
of  the  Confederacy,  had  taken  several  Indian  children  as 
pawns  or  pledges  for  the  payment  of  the  goods  sold  to  the 
parents.    Notwithstanding  the  latter  came  at  the  appoint- 
ed time  to  redeem  their  children,  the  traders  refused  to 
deliver  them  up, — designing  to  keep  them  as  security  for 
future  purchases.    The  chiefs  of  the  several  tribes,  justly 
indignant  at  this  breach  of  fkith,  came  in  a  body  to  Mount 
Johnson,  and  laid  their  grievances  before  the  colonel,  who 
thereupon  informed  Mr.  Clinton  of  these  facts.  The  result 
was  a  proclamation  from  the  governor  directing  that  the 
children  should  at  once  be  restored  to  their  homes.     Most 
of  the  traders  forthwith  obeyed,  but  a  few  were  obstinate 
and  refused  compliance.    The  French,  ever  ready  to  seize 
upon  anything  which  might  be  turned  to  their  advantage, 
used  this  circumstance  to  inflame  the  minds  of  the  Indians, 
adducing  this  as  a  proof  that  the  English  wished  only  to 
reduce  them  to  slavery.    Finally,  however,  through  the 
exertions  of  the  colonel  all  the  children  were  restored  and 
the    wound   healed,    though   not  until  several   council 
fires  had  been  rekindled  and  many  belts  of   wampum 
exchanged.  ;        ,.  v    ••,-,. 

It  was  not  until  the  following  year  that  a  general 
exchange  of  prisoners  was  eftected.  During  the  interval 
Colonel  Johnson  was  chiefly  occupied  in  soothing  the 
temper  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  in  preventing  them  from 
committing  themselves  to  the  French.  This  was  not  an 
easy  task.  The  Jesuit  priests  were  busy  among  them 
endeavoring  to  undermine  their  attachment  to  the  English  ; 
for  notwithstanding  the  solemn  assurances  given  by  the 
Indians  that  these  emissaries  should  be  given  up,  a  few 
continued  to  reside  at  the  different  castles.  The  colo- 
nel, however,  was  not  discouraged.  Well  aware  of  the 
character  of  his  opponents  he  was  not  satisfied    with 

48 


1^ 


■  1 

'■.' 

1 

T 

■ 

378 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


.A>  : 


CHAP,  pursuing  merely  a  negative  policy,  but  set  himself 
Wy—' vigorously  to  work  to  thwart  the  machinations  going 
^"^^^^  on  around  him.  Ho  therefore  labored  more  earnestly 
than  ever  to  strengthen  his  influence  over  the  Indians. 
At  times  I  find  him  taking  part  in  their  ceremonies  and 
condoling  with  them  upon  the  death  of  some  chief:  at 
another,  he  is  wearing  their  dress,  dancing  and  smoking 
their  pipes,  and  entering  with  seeming  zest  into  their 
games :  while  again  he  is  found  addressing  their  chiefs 
in  council,  and  instigating  an  incursion  upon  one  of  the 
French  settlements.  Yet  with  all  this  adaptation  to  their 
habits,  there  was  withal  a  certain  dignity  of  mien  which 
ever  commanded  respect,  and  secured  him  from  that 
familiarity  which  with  the  red,  as  well  as  with  the  white 
race,  always  breeds  contempt.* 

The  energy  of  Colonel  Johnson — always  remarkable— 
was  perhaps  never  more  displayed  than  at  this  period  of 
his  life.  A  few  years  later  he  relinquished  business  and 
devoted  himself  entirely  to  the  service  of  the  crown.  At 
this  time,  however,  beside  the  duties  incident  to  the  care 
of  the  Indian  department,  he  was  assiduous  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  private  business  relations.  Numerous  letters 
to  his  agents  in  London,  filled  with  orders  for  goods,  are 
still  in  existence,  copies  of  which  were  filed  away  with 
that  accuracy  which  was  so  characteristic  of  him  during 
his  entire  life.  On  the  same  day  he  is  found  ordering 
from  London  lead  for  the  roof  of  his  house ;  dispatching 
a  load  of  goods  to  Oswego ;  bartering  with  the  Indians 
for  furs ;  and  writing  to  Governor  Clinton  at  length  on 
the  encroachments  of  the  French — doing  everything  with 
neatness  and  dispatch.  Yet  amid  all  the  cares  incident  to 
his  mercantile  business,  which  had  now  grown  very  exten- 

1  It  was  in  this  year  that  Kalm,  the  distinguished  Swedish  naturalisd 
visited  Mount  Johnson  bearing  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Cadwallader 
Golden,  Johnson  received  his  visitor  with  warm  and  courtly  hospitality, 
and  on  his  departure  gave  him  a  letter  to  Captain  Lindesay  at  Oswego  and  fur- 
nished him  with  a  guide  to  Niagara.  Kalm  wrote  to  Johnsqn  from  Gawego 
thanking  him  wajr mly  for  his  kindness. 


4>liieji4m»  Mitit)*"'! 


li 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


879 


CHAP. 


sive,  he  still  retained  his  contract  for  supplying  the  garri- 
son at  Oswego ;  while  at  the  same  time  he  superintended 
the  militia,  attended  to  the  affairs  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  1749, 
as  "ranger  of  the  woods"  for  Albany  county — an  office 
conferred  on  him  by  Mr.  Clinton — kept  a  diligent  watch 
upon  those  who  were  disposed  to  cut  down  and  carry  off 
by  stealth  the  king's  timber. 

It  will  readily  be  seen,  however,  that  with  all  this 
energy,  it  required  great  tact  to  maintain  an 'ascend- 
ency over  the  Iroquois.  Any  one  other  than  Johnson 
would  have  failed ;  nor  was  it  an  ordinary  mind  that 
could  so  successfully  baffle  the  whole  power  and  influ- 
ence of  La  Galissoni^re  and  his  wily  priests.  ~  Indeed 
had  it  not  been  for  his  influence,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how 
the  Six  Nations  at  this  period  could  have  withstood  the 
seductive  allurements  of  the  French.  By  every  appliance 
in  their  power  the  latter  strove  to  shake  their  confidence  in 
the  English — ^by  presents ;  by  the  influence  of  priests ; 
by  stories  circulated  among  them  of  English  treachery ; 
by  stirring  up  petty  jealousies, — in  short  nothing  which 
cunning  or  strategy  could  devise  was  neglected.  Yet  all 
these  arts,  through  the  vigilance  of  the  colonel,  signally 
failed ;  and  the  Iroquois  still  continued  the  firm  allies  of 
the  English  crown. 

The  autumn  of  this  year  was  marked  by  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  French  in  Nova  Scotia,  which  were  soon 
to  plunge  the  colonies  into  another  bloody  and  disastrous 
war.  La  Jonqui^re,  the  successor  of  Galissoni^re,  had 
watched  the  English  settlement  at  Halifax  with  consider- 
able solicitude ;  and  in  November,  he  dispatched  a  party 
of  the  St.  John  and  River  Indians  against  Minas,  with  no 
other  eflect  however,  than  the  killing  and  capturing  of 
eighteen  men.  At  the  same  time.  La  Corne,  a  bloody  and 
desperate  soldier  of  fortune,  was  ordered  to  the  isthmus 
of  the  peninsula,  which  position  he  occupied  during  the 
winter,  making  his  head-quarters  at  the  village  of  Chieg- 
necto. 


CHAP. 

X. 


1750, 


880  LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 

Anxious  to  dislodge  these  intruders,  Cornwallis,  the 
.-  governor  of  Nova  Scotia,  sent  Major  Lawrence  in  April 
with  a  force  of  four  hundred  regulars  and  rangers  upon 
this  service.  Scarcely  had  the  fleet  appeared  in  siglit, 
when  La  Come  burned  the  town,  and,  retreating  across 
the  river  with  the  inhabitants,  planted  upon  its  dykes  the 
lilies  of  France.  This  position  was  too  strong  to  bo 
attacked  with  any  prospect  of  success.  Major  Lawroucio, 
after  holding  an  interview  with  the  French  commander,  in 
which  the  latter  avowed  his  intention  to  defend  himself 
to  the  last  extremity,  turned  the  prows  of  his  vesHcis 
toward  IIalifax^.  A  swift  vessel  conveyed  the  intelligence 
of  this  event  to  the  parent  government,  and  simultane- 
ously a  messenger  was  dispatched  to  the  colonies  of  New 
Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  to  inform  them  "  pf  the 
audacious  proceedings  of  the  French,  and  to  invite  them 
to  join  in  punishing  La  Corne  as  a  public  incendiary."' 

England,  however,  I'eaped,  in  the  lukewarm  reception 
of  these  tidings  by  the  New  England  colonies,  the  tiist 
fruits  of  her  pusillanimous  surrender  of  Cape  Breton. 
Those  colonies  already  saw  the  folly  of  spending  so  much 
blood  and  treasure  in  aid  of  a  government  which  had 
shown  itself  so  incapaWe  of  profiting  by  their  victories, 
and  consequently  they  took  no  measures  for  the  defense 
of  Nova  Scotia.  In  midsummer  another  expedition  was 
planned  at  Halifax  to  retake  Chiegnecto.  The  attack  was 
successful,  though  several  of  the  English  were  killed ;  and 
thus  was  the  first  blood  shed  of  that  sanguinary  contest, 
which  was  soon  to  involve  the  continents  of  the  old  and 
new  world  in  such  long  and  deadly  strife." 

In  May  of  this  year.  Colonel  Johnson  took  his  first  step 
toward  the  prominent  and  influential  position  which  he 
was  destined  to  occupy  in  later  years.  This  was  no  less 
than  his  appointment  by  the  crown  to  a  seat  in  his  majesty's 
council  for  the  province  of  New  York  in  the  room  of 

1  Bancroft. 
»Minot. 


UPH  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


381 


Philip  Livingaton  deceased.*    A  new  phase  of  life  was  chap. 
now  to   open   upon   him,    in   which  a  wider  scope   wusn-v— ' 
to  he   given   to  his  peculiar  and   extraordinary    talentH,  ^^^^' 
Hitherto,  although   he  liad    heon  appointed  in   1748  to 
the  command    of   the  New  York  cok^nial   troops  witli 
tlie    commission    of   colonel,  yet  he  still    occupied   the 
position  of   a  private   citizen,   fast   rising,  nevcrtheleSvS, 
in  influence,    hy  a  steady    attention   to    his    business. 
Henceforward  he  is  no  longer  a  citizen,  but  a  public  man. 
From  a  trader  in  furs,  daily  bartering  for  pelts  in  a  country 
store,  ho  is  soon  to  become  the  most  prominent  man  in  his 
majesty's  colonies.     ^'•'•■.vrry\^       :  i  •i'il  ,^hh  ••-•)!'!.,    •.. 

To  Johnson,  this  appointment,  though  unsought,  was 
by  no  means  a  surprise.  Mr.  Catherwood,  in  April  of  this 
year,  had  written  him  from  London,  stating  that  Governor 
Clinton  had  recommeLdei  and  urged  his  appointment  to 
the  council  in  place  of  Colonel  Moore ; — "  I  urged  your 
appointment ;"  Mr.  Oatherv^ood  writes,  *'  to  be  in  the  room 
of  Mr.  Livingston,  as  you  seemed  desirous  to  take  place 
next  to  Mr.  Holland;  but  Sir  Peter  Warren  secretly 
asked  it  as  a  favor  to  place  you  before  Mr.  Holland,  which 
was  not  your  own  desire,  nor  do  I  think  it  just,  where- 
fore I  have  been  under  a  necessity  of  praying  that  Mr. 
Holland  may  take  place  according  to  his  appointment  at 
New  York."  Although  Mr.  Clinton's  recommendation 
undoubtedly  arose  in  part  from  a  personal  attachment  and 
a  desire  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  young  friend,  yet 
selfish  considerations  entered  into  it  in  a  large  measure. 
The  faction  in  the  assembly,  far  from  growing  weaker  by 
frequent  dissolutions,  had,  under  the  lead  of  the  chief 
justice,  waxed  more  powerful,  until  the  executive  was  fast 
verging  into  a  subordinate  position.  The  governor,  secure 
in  the  friendship  of  Johnson,  hoped  by  this  measure  to 
hind  the  latter  still  more  flrmly  to  his  interests  and  thus 

*Mr.  Dunlop  in  his  History  of  New  York,  makes  the  date  of  Johnson's 
appointment  to  the  council  two  years  later.  This  is  incorrect.  Johnson,  it 
is  true,  was  not  sworn  in  till  the  nnit  year. 


882 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


J    :.^ 


,i: 


CHAP,  strengthen  his  own  hands  at  the  council  board.*    Still  Mr. 

wy—'  Clinton,  though  an  unlettered  man,  possessed  considerable 

1760.  gagacity,  and  had  he  not  seen  in  the  colonel  the  promise  of 

ability  which  woukl  be  of  service  to  the  crown,  he  would 

not  have  recommended  him  for  this  important  positiou 

merely  to  sustain  his  own  interests.'         ftfiwrirt.m***'  *)it: 

Meanwhile  the  wranglings  between  the  governor  and 
his  assembly  continued.  The  former,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, rather  than  yield  to  the  wishes  of  the  faction,  had  in 
great  wrath  prorogued  that  body  in  1748 ;  and  by  succea- 
sive  prorogations,  he  had  prevented  it  from  sitting  for 
nearly  two  years,  until  the  affairs  of  the  colony,  from  lack 
of  funds,  were  now  in  an  alarming  condition.  The  exe- 
cutive  during  this  entire  period,  had  been  wholly  destitute 
of  money  with  which  to  carry  on  the  government.  The 
post  at  Oswego  was  in  danger  of  being  given  up,  from  its 
garrison  having  threatened  to  disband  through  lack  of  pay ; 
and  the  public  credit,  by  means  of  which  funds  had  been 
obtained  for  the  defense  of  the  frontiers,  was  nearly  if  not 
quite  exhausted.  In  this  critical  juncture,  the  governor 
did  not  think  it  advisable  to  longer  delay  calling  his  kgis- 
lature  together.  He  therefore  declared  his  old  assembly 
dissolved  on  the  twenty-first  of  July,  and  issued  writs  for 
a  new  one  returnable  on  the  fourth  of  September.  In  his 
opening  speech  to  the  house,  Mr.  Clinton  recommended 
that  immediate  provision  should  be  made  for  meeting  the 
arrearages  of  the  pay  now  long  due  to  the  garrison  at 
Oswego,  and  for  the  expenses  incurred  in  meeting  and  con- 

1  Thus  in  a  letter  from  Catherwood  to  Johnson  in  May  of  this  year  inform- 
ing him  of  his  appointment,  the  former  writes  ; — "  I  have  the  pleasure  to 
tell  you  that  you  are  appointed  a  councillor  for  the  province  of  New  York 
pursuant  to  his  ezcellenoy's  recommendation,  and  as  he  is  very  ready  upon 
all  occasions  to  oblige  his  friends,  I  hope  nothing  will  move  you  to  drop  your 
attachment  inviolable  to  him ;  but  that  you  will  try  now  as  a  member  of  the 
legislature  to  serve  him  and  yourself  with  the  assembly." 

*  In  the  same  way,  Oovernor  Fletcher  had  raised  Schuyler  to  the  coun- 
cil board,  on  account  of  his  like  judicious  Indian  service. 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


883 


Wjmrnpf-  ^Jitj 


gratulating  the  Indiana  upon  the  concluBion  of  pence,  chap. 
Ho  informed  it  of  the  rapid  advances  the  French  \vere»-v— ' 
making  in  the  aiiectiuns  of  the  Confederates,  and  the  * 
urgent  necessity  there  was  for  making  larger  presents  to 
the  Indians  if  these  advances  were  to  be  successfully  met. 
He  then  urged  it  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  salaries 
of  government  oflScers  long  since  due ;  and  concluded  by 
reminding  it  of  the  colony's  debt  to  Colonel  Johnson  still 
unpaid.  The  assembly  responded  to  this  address  by 
immediately  voting  the  sum  of  800  pounds  for  presents  to 
the  Indians ;  and  by  passing  two  acts— one  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  debts  of  the  colony,  and  the  other  for  the 
payment  of  the  government  salaries.  It  also  allowed  the 
sum  of  £686  lis.  to  Mr.  Johnson,  for  provisions  supplied 
by  him  to  the  militia  and  regular  troops  posted  at  Oswego 
during  the  previous  year  from  September  1748  to  1751. 
To  these  acts  the  governor  gave  his  consent,  although 
they  were  all  passed  in  the  same  irregular  manner  as  former- 
ly, and  in  such  a  way  as  to  encroach  upon  the  prerogative. 
Still  Mr.  Clinton  dared  not  refuse  his  assent,  dreading 
lest  his  refusal  should  cause  the  loss  of  the  post  at  Oswego, 
which  on  account  of  its  trade  with  the  Indians  would  have 
been  equivalent  to  the  loss  of  the  friendship  of  the  Six 
Kations.^  The  assembly  shortly  after  the  passage  of  these 
acts  was  prorogued  to  the  second  day  of  the  following  April. 
It  will  be  noticed,  however,  that  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  .£686  llsx  allowed  for  provisioning  the  Oswego 
garrison  the  assembly  during  their  session  never  once  alluded 
to  the  debt  now  so  long  due  Colonel  Johnson.  So  cautious 
was  the  assembly,  as  we  have  already  seen,  of  doing  any- 
thing which  could  be  construed  into  yielding  to  the  wishes 
of  the  governor,  that  it  was  led  into  an  act  of  great  injust- 
ice, not  to  say  ingratitude,  in  thus  allowing  this  claim  to 
pass  unrecognized.  Especially  was  this  the  case,  since  the 
greater  part  of  the  debt  was  not  for  services  rendered, 

'  Qovernor  Clinton  to  the  board  of  tr^de,  published  in  iV,  Y.   Col.    Doc, 
vol.  vi. 


884 


CHAP, 
X. 


1760. 


/ 


\ 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOUKSON,   DART. 

but  for  private  advuncos  mado  iti  treating  witli  the  IikIIuuh, 
and  ill  the  defeneo  of  the  frontierH.  It  was  in  vain  that 
for  nearly  tiiroo  years  Governor  Clinton  in  turn  ontreuted 
and  he  •!(  Might.  It  was  to  no  purpose  that  he  repreB(  Mted 
the  injustice  of  allowing  Jolinson's  mrmccs  to  he  so  poorly 
requited,  to  say  nothing  of  the  moneys  advaueed  by  liini 
from  his  own  funds  for  the  protection  of  the  colony.  The 
awsembly,  instigated  by  the  De  Lancey  faction,  were  stub- 
born and  would  not  yiehi,  1  here  was  also  another  influ- 
ence at  work,  which  tc  i  ^reu'-  extent  was  the  cause  of 
this  injustice.  It  wUl  be  ren.embered  that  previouK  to 
the  colonel  ap^uniin^  ti  •  supervision  of  the  Six  Nations, 
their  aftairs  i  ,  :  '  )r  a  long  time  been  entrusted  to  a  board 
of  commissioueis  at  Albany.  The  commissioners  were 
mostly  Dutch ;  and  in  the  love  of  gain  so  characteristic  of 
that  nation,  they  had  used  their  office  chiefly  to  monopo- 
lize the  Indian  trade,  and  thus  make  it  a  source  of  great 
private  proli  t.  Having  finally  through  their  grasping  dis- 
position, lost  all  influence  over  the  Indians,  the  governor 
committed  the  whole  management  of  Indian  affairs  to  Mr. 
Johnson.  The  commissioners  inflamed  with  resentnieut 
at  the  loss  of  authority  which  they  had  so  long  held,  and 
the  consequent  loss  of  their  trade — no  inconsiderable 
source  of  emolument. — joined  the  faction  against  Clinton. 
Instigated  by  petty  jealousy  of  the  man  by  whom  they 
had  been  supplanted,  they  used  every  artifice  to  prevent 
Ids  claims  from  being  recognized.*  Various  were  the 
expedients  resorted  to  by  the  assembly  for  deferring  action 
upon  this  matter,  many  of  them  frivolous,  all  of  them 
contemptible.  Sometimes  it  was  by  directing  that  i)ay- 
ni'uts  should  be  made  out  of  funds  which  it  well  knew 
V,  '  exha:  a;  and  again  it  was  by  cutting  down  his 
accounts,  without  assigning  any  reason  for  so  doing. ''  It 
even  charged  him  with  peculation,  and  accused  him  of 
bringing  in  bills  for  provisions  lor  the  Oswego  garrison 

1  Manuscript  letter ;  Doctor  Cadwallader  Coldeu  to  Colonel  Johnson. 
*  Manuscript  letter;  ColonelJolinson  to  Goveiuor  Clinton. 


UFB   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


886 


which  were  never  sent.    To  >*uch  u  len^h  did  the  spirit  of  chap. 
faction  lead.'     Colonel  .luhnnoti  wai^  thuHpiacedinanox-v—,^^ 
ceedingly  embarrassing  ])08ition.     For  nearly  three  years  ^^'^*^- 
past  he  had  himself  u'lvunced  almost  uU  the  money  needed 
for  lb**  defense  of  the   frontiers  and  for  treating  with  the 
Indians,  uuti'  there  was  now  due  him  the  sum  of  .£2000. 
Fearing  therefore  that  his  private  fort   -.^  would  be  ruined 
Bhould  this  draft  upon  his  funds  contmu  ,  and  tlu  re  being 
no  prospect  of  having  his  claims  and  8©r\  'f^es  recognized,    ,  ■  t  . 
he  sent  in  to  the  council  his  resignation  as  suj     mtendent  of 
Indian  affairs,' — dispatching,  at  the  same  tinii   helts  to  the     ^7. 
different  Indian  castles  informing  them     uit  )  «  no  long* 
had  the  charge  of  their  aflftiirs.     To  Qo     mor  Olinton  this 
step  waa  not  entirely  unexpected,  hut  am   nj:  th    Confede- 
rates the  anno'incement,  as  was  natural,  oarriei    surprise 
and  consternation;  so  much  so  that  that ''       made  it  the 
subject  of  a  spt  nal  belt  at  the  next  council,       a  at  Albany 
the  following  summer.' 


J I    (»<l?    ma-i: 


Uko  iiOUM)  to 

'infoB  (pnb- 

nioA  on  tk« 

ve  me  flrom 

..-  will  not  ad- 


■Mtnuseript  letter ;   Darid  Jones  (at  this  time  speaker 
Colonel  Johnion. 

'Colonel  Johnion  to  (ioTernor  Clinton. 

'It  iitrue  that  CadwaHader  Golden  in  a  Iet«er  to  GoTerni" 
Uihed  in  the  If.  Y.  Ool.  Doc.  vi,  189)  aeems  to  hint  that  thi>^ 
part  of  Johnion,  waa  unexpected;  yetinamanuaoript  letter  ,. 
the  latt«r  to  Mr.  Clinton,  li  e  clearly  notifies  tho  governor  that 
Tance  money  longer  and  m  at  soon  resign.  In  the  course  of  th  .->  .etter,  after 
auggeiting  that  Colonel  Lydiui  should  be  appointed  in  his  place,  and  giving 
some  information  in  relation  to  the  Indians,  Johnson  adds,  "asi  iaper* 
liaps  the  last  item  of  Indian  news  I  ihall  ever  have  occasion  to  tro.ijleyouv 
exoellenoy  with,  I  should  be  ^ery  glad  if  it  were  made  the  best  use  of."  In 
anotlier  letter  to  Governor  1  linton,  also,  Johnson  writes,  "there  wiU  be 
tome  expense  attending  my  eaignation  which  I  think  should  not  be  bar))e 
by  me."  Mr.  Colden  must  therefore  be  mistaken.  ■-  ■  j      '•   ^  :■.,>. ^-..i^^ 

'••"•  I  ^  .  ■  - 1  ■    :•-'  - ■■    .  .^:;  >-i' "fi)   I.    Mit'i      •';'' 

ftt    l"   M6il/ai..la'/;    J)   1  fi,-      .       ,»  •)!\>.''l  l.'.y^i'ir.lUl     I,,      '■.,.     ic,  ."     ,  .li;.;- 

■«l^i-'    i»,ri»r;ti^1!vfc(  /)•■;  j    ,,■,.;•  ?.,-'■<    <>l    ' -fM.-:',-  ri\y:     ^.^-S-r  ,i  .,,.,.. 

!t*!'^    -Jill  I,!    siii'l.,'--;. .'         ,1  .,.;  !,  rr  ,.,v.a  ■.•:'i,"  iifj  !,»..    )- ••.  m-.c.  -i' I  -mu 

;4u.<>V*  t(fc)h-tlliA.-^>* ;  .  ■. '..•^iJt.-.t  t.  fr.i!,' •i.'i'«,.-.-i-i  ».i:    I  •; '/  1;.  •     .  ,f  , 

nifeiHWJ,;.    j<,-i»,«f<Tt-f.>'l     ■.(•..).«  .:  ■.'1<..^,J(^^^   '1...    .  I    •■       ■.    :  !■•,.     hri', 

Ivi-llUi    ui    Ai«.   t     iiil    )„J       .,  .li,  ....)    i-il    »i.    •i-\\r,i-f     i, 

■J/va-f.>iM,  ■.lian/'^  :4      .■:,.,', i.      r    ,  ,    ,         .,•-.,■:,,,•.,      ,;  : 

49 


Mi         iU-. 


m. 


\ 


'-^il^ 


-■'    .i    1-   , '     I  :       .1(11; 


.lu  '• 


";  ■ 


1 


.!»■ 


1, 


.jf  1  •■••:  I   n  11    !io'i!i'i-    h:.'"   •. 


:m 


If 


■:i  '1..-.1 


L-' 


')i!I 


,1 


CHAPTER  XI..  Hi. 
1750—1751.       '    " 


pjj^.     Peace  had  once  more  spread  her  wings  over  the  Ameri- 
^'    can  Colonies.    The  farmer,  hanging  his  trusty  rifle  over  the 

1750.  fireplace,  could  again  sow  his  fields  without  fear  of  the 
whistling  bullet  or  the  reeking  tomahawk.  The  little 
child,  clinging  no  longer  to  its  mother's  breast  in  frantic 
terror  as  the  savage  warwhoop  was  borne  past  on  the  mid- 
night air,  slumbered  peacefully  in  its  cradle.  And  the 
plowman,  as  he  trudged  home  at  nightfall  from  a  ,weftiy 
day's  work,  looked  forward  to  the  greetings  of  his  wife  and 
children,  rather  than  a  lonely  and  desolated  hearth. 

The  treaty  of  Aix  La  Chapelle,  however,  was  received 
by  the  colonies  with  less  satisfaction  than  might  have  been 
anticipated,  from  the  termination  of  the  bloody  war, 
which  had  for  so  long  a  period  desolated  her  frontiers. 
By  this  treaty — a  treaty  which  has  been  justly  character- 
ised, as  "the  most  inglorious  and  impolitic  compact  to 
which  Britain  had  acceded  since  the  revolution  of 
1688" — it  was  agreed  that  all  conquests  which  had  been 
obtained  by  either  side,  should  be  restored.  In  accord- 
ance with  this  agreement,  England  surrendered  Cape 
Breton  to  France,  receiving  in  return  only  a  slight  advan- 
tage toward  the  preservation  of  that  mythical  idea — the 
balance  of  power.*    After  an  immense  expenditure  of 

I  The  basis  of  the  treaty,  as  between  £ugland,  France  and  Spain,  was  a 
mutual  release  of  all  prisoners  without  ransom,  and  a  restoration  of  ail 
conquests.  Silesia  was  secured  to  Frederick,  and  the  hereditary  domin- 
ions of  the  empress  queen  were  guarantied  to  her  according  to  the  Prag- 
matic Sanction.  With  this  restoration  of  conquests,  the  American  colonists 
had  the  mortification  to  see  Cape  Breton,  with  the  fortress  of  Loui»burg, 
surrendered  back  to  France  as  an  equivalent  for  the  towns  in  Flanders 
taken  by  the  French  from  the  Germans,  her  allies.    England,  moreover, 


'Hwi^morrtiitiK- 


JWlUil  i»ll  Willi 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


887 


money ;  and  after  a  bloody  and  disastrous  war,  Eng-  chap. 
land  came  from  the  convocation  at  Aix  La  Chapelle,  in  the  w^l/ 
eyes  of  every  true  hearted  Englishman,  humbled  and  ^'^^0. 
abased.  The  news  of  the  peace  was  received  by  New 
England,  with  even  stronger  feelings  of  indignation  than 
by  her  sister  colonies.  She  felt  that  Cape  Breton-— for 
the  capture  of  which  she  expended  so  much  blo^  ^  and 
treasure — ^had  been  sacrificed  merely  to  grati;^  and 
sustain  the  selfish  policy  of  the  mother  country.  The 
private  correspondence  of  this  period — the  surest  test,  per- 
haps, of  the  real  state  of  public  opinion  in  any  age — 
teems  with  the  strong  feelings  of  men,  who  feel  that  they 
have  been  duped.  Especially  was  this  indignation  preva. 
lent  among  those  who  had  served  against  the  French ;  and 
who  after  receiving  so  many  scars  in  defence  of  English 
honor,  saw  it  now  sullied  and  disgraced.*  '■  ii  •;  ;  .:m  ■ 
But  though  the  peace  between  England  and  France  was 
now  formally  consummated,  it  required  no  prophetic 
vision  to  foresee,  that  in  a  short  time,  it  would  be  a  peace 
only  in  name.  In  the  articles  of  the  treaty,  no  mention 
whatfever  was  made  of  the  French  encroachments  upon 
the  territory  of  the  Iroquois,  although  the  first  care  of 
England  should  have  been,  to  insist  upon  the  removal  of 
Fort  Frederick  at  Crown  Point.  The  boundaries  between 
the  English  and  French  possessions,  along  the  rivers 
Mississippi  and  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  limits  even  of  Nova 
Scotia,  one  of  the  original  causes  of  the  war,  were  left 
entirely  undetermined ;  it  being  tacitly  understood,  that 
the  boundaries  should  remain  as  they  were  before  the  war.* 

had  stooped  to  send  tv.'o  hostages,  persons  of  rank,  to  remain  in  France, 
ns  a  pledge  for  this  restoration. — Smollett ;  see  also  Grahame. 

>In  a  manuscript  letter  to  Colonel  Johnson,  from  an  officer  who 
liad  left  the  walks  of  private  life  for  the  army,  occurs  the  following 
passage.  "  Nothing  would  give  me  more  pleasure  than  to  hare  the  honor  to 
serve  his  majesty,  but  believe  me  if  ever  I  get  into  a  good  way  of  life 
agivin  I  shall  be  very  cautious  how  I  quit  it." 

^Commissioners,  it  is  true,  were  appointed  to  settle  these  boundaries, 
but  their  proceedings  were  conducted  with  such  asperity,  as  rendered  their 
proflBfldinng  o  nicrs  ftarcv. 


t««r  . 


888 


LIVE   OF   SIR  TVILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


c^.When  these  limits  were  so  indefinite  as  to  occasion  the 
•-vw  dispute,  it  was  not  to  bo  supposed  that  they  would  give 
1760.  j^Q  more  trouble,  now  that  the  dispute  was  brought  to  a 
close  by  a  hollow  peace.  The  result  is  readily  seen.  Each 
government  hastened  to  occupy  as  much  land  as  possible 
in  advance  of  the  other  ;  and  the  formation  of  the  Ohio 
company,  with  a  grant  from  the  crown  of  six  hundred 
thousand  acres,  determined  France  to  push  forward  with 
greater  alacrity  the  bold  design  which  she  had  formed  as 
early  as  1731,  in  erecting  Fort  Frederick  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  This  was  no  less  than  the  connecting  the  St.  Law- 
rence with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  by  a  chain  of  forts  along 
that  river  to  Detroit,  and  down  the  Ohio  to  the  Mississippi. 
In  accordance  with  this  project,  La  Galissoni^re,  in  1749, 
deputed  CI  jn  de  Bienville  to  occupy  the  valley  of  the 
Ohio ;  and  that  officer,  pursuing  his  instructions,  proceeded 
down  vhc  Ohio  in  a  canoe,  burying  at  the  mouth  of  everj' 
large  creek  a  plate  of  lead,  with  the  inscription,  that  from 
the  rise  of  the  Ohio  to  its  mouth,  the  country  belonged  to 
France.^ 

But  the  French  government,  well  aware  that  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Ohio,  would  lose  much  of  its  value,  so  long 
US  a  free  communication  was  open  to  the  New  England 
colonies,  resolved  to  lose  no  time  in  gaining  the  L-oquois 
ae  allies,  and  thus  interpose  a  formidable  barrier  against 
the  designs  of  the  English* 

In  pursuance  of  this  project,  Rev.  Abbfe  Picquet,  aided 
by  the  French  government,  established,  in  1749,  a  mission 
school  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswegat- 
chie  river,  called  La  Presentation." 

Francis  Picquet,  the  founder  of  this  tnission,  was  a  man 
peculiarly  formed  for  this  undertaking.  A  zealous  priest 
and  a  staunch  soldier,  the  crozier  and  the  sword  were  to 
him  alike  familiar.     On  several  occasions,   he  had  accom- 

•  Paris  Doc.  x.  9 — "Within  a  few  years,  one  of  these  plates,  with  the 
insoription  partially  effaced,  has  been  found  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mua' 
kingum."     North  ^menean  Review  for  July,  1889. 

'Ogdensburgh. 


I  t 


,,^H«nanwHw»iii»i  »»«■«- 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


889 


panied  the  Indians  in  their  incursions  upon  the  English  chap. 
settlements ;  and  was  with  the  party  that  destroyed  the  Wy— » 
fort  at  Saratoga,  and  the  Lydius  mills.'    His  keen  mind  l^so. 
had  early  foreseen  the  war  which  was  to  rage  so  fiercely 
between  his  nation  and  the  English;  and  he  had  long 
urged  the  policy  of  receiving  the  Six  Nations  as  allies. 
When  therefore  the  necessity  was  seen  of  cultivating  the 
friendship  of  the  latter,  as  a  step    toward  the  secure 
possession  of  the  west,  the  proposition  of  Picquet  to  La 
Galissoni^re,  to  establish  a  mission  for  the  conversion  of 
the  Six  Nations,  was  readily  accepted.' 

The  site  chosen  by  Picquet  for  the  mission,  evinced 
his  sagacity.'  Situated  on  the  St.  Lavn*ence,  between 
Oswego  and  Montreal,  the  passage  of  the  English 
into  Canada  by  this  route  could  readily  be  intercepted. 
Its  proximity  to  Lake  Ontario  served  to  aid  and  protect 
the  posts  which  had  already  been  erected  on  that  lake  by 
the  French ;  while  its  fine  harbor  afforded  a  secure  shelter, 
for  the  bateaux  that  passed  up  the  St.  Lawrence  from 
Montreal  with  supplies  for  the  French  traders  at  the 
different  posts  on  the  lake.  The  establishment  of  this 
mission,  was  the  occasion  of  much  solicitude  on  the  part 
of  the  colonies ;  while  its  effect  upon  the  minds  of  the 
Indians  was  exceedingly  dreaued  by  Colonel  Jonhson.* 
These  apprehensions  were  not  unfounded,  for  in  the  next 
war  La  Presentation  formed  a  rendezvous,  from  which 
scalping  parties  were  fitted  out;  and  which  committed 
such  depredations  along  the  New  York  frontier  and  the 

>  Fort  Edward.  ..'•'.■■..  ;,i!     '  ,/•  .  '' 

'Picquet  was  called  by  the  French  "the  Apostle  of  the  Iroquois;"  by 
the  English  "  the  Jesuit  of  the  west." 

'  It  is  true  that  in  an  account  of  the  war  from  1749 — 1760,  published  under 
the  direction  of  the  Quebec  Hist.  Soo.  in  1885,  an  anonymous  writer  calls 
La  Presentation,  Picquet's  Folly  ;  but  the  writer  eridently  bears  such  a 
personal  enmity  against  Fioquet,  that  his  authority,  on  this  point,  is  uf  no 
value. 

^ManuBoript  oorrespondenoe  between  Colonel  Johnson  and  Mr.  Clinton. 


IJi'- 


l     ; 


I 


"^^ii  *4'>^)i^||jiM||ii^. . 


890 


LIPE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


c^p.  Mohawk  river,  as  to  lead  General  Gage  to  destroy  the 

N-V-'  place  in  1757.* 

1750.     "Wliile  the  French  were  thus  vigorously  at  work  in  the 
north  and  west,  they  were  not  less  active  in  the  south. 
As  by  the  late  treaty,  there  was  no  pretense  for  active 
hostilities,  the  policy  of  the  French  was  now,  to  stir  up 
dissensions  among  the   different  tribes  friendly  to  the 
English.    By  fomenting  animosities  between  the  Indians, 
and  causing  them  to  prey  upon  each  other,  they  hoped 
finally  to  compass  their  utter  anihilation,  and  thus  deprive 
their    ancient    enemy  of  the   aid    and    support   of  its 
dusky  allies — a  diabolical  plan,  well  worthy  of  the  time 
of  Nero,  but  scarcely  to  be  credited  of  the  civilization  of 
the  eighteenth  century !    While,  therefore,  I*icquet  was 
exerting  his  influence  upon  the  Six  Nations  from  La  Pre- 
sentation, on  the  St.  Lawrence,  Jean  Coeur  was  sent  to  the 
tribes  bordering  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.    The 
indomitable  perseverence  of  these  emissaries,  was  for  the 
time  but  too  successful.  Through  their  influence — obtained 
by    the  lavish  use  of  presents — the  minds  of  the  Six 
Nations,  and  a  few  of  the  western  tribes,  became  greatly 
inflamed  against  the  Catawbas,  a  small  tribe  depending 
chiefly  upon  Virginia,  and  residing  principally  in  the 
Carolinas ;  and  they  were  again,  in  violation    of  their 
promises  to  Governor  Clinton,  preparing  for  a  devastating 
war  upon  that  people." 

Ever  alive  to  the  interests  of  the  crown,  Johnson,  early 
in  the  previous  year,  had  written  to  Clinton,  informing 
him  of  the  growing  ill  feeling  of  the  Confederates  against 
the  Catawbas ;  and  had  advised  the  holding  of  a  council, 
at  some  place  where  the  Confederates  and  the  Catawbas 
could  meet,   and  conclude  a  treaty  of  peace.*    At  about 

^Iliitory  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin  Counties,  by  Franklin  B.  Hough. 

*  Manuscript  correspondence  between  Johnson  and  Clinton. 

B  As  far  back  as  the  year  1740,  it  will  be  remembered,  there  had  been  a 
feud  existing  between  the  Catawbas  and  the  Six  Nations.  It  had,  however, 
become  almost  extinct  until  it  was  reTived  with  a  thousand  fold  more 
intensity  by  Fioquet  and  Cccur. 


~~'*^ij»Mii»'"*wm^>w» 


ace.*    At  about 


LIFE  OP  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


891 


I' 

A 


the  same  time,  Governor  Clinton  was  also  informed  by  a  chap. 
letter  from  Governor  Glen  of  South  Carolina,  that  the  v«,^_^ 
Senecas  had  made  several  attacks  upon   the  Catawbas,  ^"^^^ 
which  threatened  to  produce  very  serious  disturbance. 
Mr.  Glen  farther  wrote,  that  the  northern  Indians  made 
the  war  upon  this  tribe  an  excuse  for  plundering  and  kill- 
ing the  negroes  and  whites ;  and  that  unless  these  inroads 
were  stopped,  he  would  be  obliged  to  oft'er  a  reward  for 
every  northern  Indian,  who  might  be  killed  within  the 
Battlement.^        .    .  >    .       ,  •     •       /,        -   ' 

Aware  of  the  importance  of  nipping  in  the  bud  a  mat- 
ter which  threatened  to  involve  the  colonies  in  such  serious 
complications.  Governor  Clinton  determined  to  act  upon 
the  suggestions  of  Colonel  Johnson,  and  summon  a  coun- 
cil. In  view,  however,  of  the  active  efforts  which  the 
French  were  making,  to  wean  the  different  Indian  nations 
throughout  the  country,  from  their  old  alliance,  he  deter- 
mined to  have  the  ends  of  the  council  take  a  wider  scope ; 
and  have  a  general  meeting  of  delegates  from  all  the  colo- 
nies, at  which  some  plan  of  union  might  be  adopted,  to 
retain  in  the  British  interest,  all  those  Indians  who  were 
originally  included  in  the  covenant  chain.  He  therefore 
wrote  to  the  several  governors,  requesting  that  they  would 
express  their  views  freely  upon  this  subject ;  and  that  if 
the  project  struck  them  favorably,  they  would  appoint 
delegates  to  meet  in  June  of  the  next  year.  All  the 
governors,  with  the  exception  of  the  governor  of  Virginia 
who  did  not  vouchsafe  any  reply,  responded  favorably. 
Thobo  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  South  Carolina, 
were,  however,  the  only  ones  who  entered  heartily  into 
the  plan.  The  governors  of  New  Hampshire  and  Penn- 
sylvania wrote,  that  they  were  favorably  impressed  with 
the  idea,  but  that  their  assemblies  were  not  disposed  to 
vote  money  enough  to  furnish  their  delegates  with  presents 
for  the  Indians ;  while  the  other  governors,  likewise  ham- 
pered by  their  assemblies,  were  still  more  lukewarm,  and 
still  less  disposed  to  enter  into  the  arrangement. 

'  Uovernor  Glea  to  Governor  Clinton,  7tb  July,  1750. 


— **«««***i«*fc. 


^**r* 


392 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


^' 


CHAP.     Notwithstanding     these     discouragements,     Governor 
w^_/  Clinton    announced    his  intention  of  meeting  the  Six 

1750.  Nations  at  Albany  the  following  year,  and  so  informed 
Colonel  Johnson.  The  latter  immediately  summoned 
both  of  the  Mohawk  castles  together,  and  in  a  speech, 
informed  the  Indians  of  the  governor's  intention  of  meet- 
ing them  in  council,  the  following  year  at  Albany.  The 
object  of  the  council,  he  told  them,  was  to  afford  the  Six 
Nations  the  opportunity  of  making  a  peace  with  the 
Catawbas,  with  whom  they  had  been  at  war  for  some  time. 
He  represented  to  them,  how  wrong  it  was  to  war  against 
a  tribe  that  they  had  agreed  to  be  at  peace  with,  according 
to  the  treaty  of  1740 ;  and  closed  with  a  request,  that  they 
would  choose  their  delegates  to  represent  them  in  the 
approaching  council.  The  Mohawks,  in  the  name  of  the 
Confederacy,  replied,  that  they  would  consent  to  a  treaty, 
provided  that  the  Catawbas  would  send  six  of  their 
sachems  to  meet  and  confer  with  their  chiefs  at  Albany.' 

Shortly  after  this  preliminary  conference,  Thomas  Lee, 
president  of  the  council  in  Virginia,  sent  a  message  to 
the  Six  Nations,  desiring  them  to  meet  the  Catawbas  iu 
Fredricksburgh,  and  receive  the  presents,  which  the 
governor  of  Virginia,  on  the  part  of  his  majesty,  desired 
to  give  them.  The  Six  Nations,  however,  feeling  that 
they  were  the  aggrieved  party,  thought  the  Catawbas  ought, 
instead,  to  come  and  meet  them ;  and  in  their  answer, 
desired  the  governor  of  Virginia  "  to  move  his  council  lire 
to  Albany,  where  they  would  gladly  hear  him,  and  receive 
the  presents  sent  by  his  majesty." 

1751.  Tlie  preliminary  conferences  opened  on  the  twenty- 

>  In  the  treaty  of  Lancaster,  in  1744,  between  the  provinoes  of  Maryland 
and  Virginia  and  the  Six  Nations,  occurs  this  passage,  spolcen  by  a  sachem 
of  the  Six  Nations :  "  You  charge  us  with  not  acting  according  to  our  peace 
with  the  Catawbas.  We  will  repeat  to  you  truly  what  was  done.  The 
governor  of  New  York,  at  Albany,  gave  us  several  belts  of  wampuro  from 
the  Cherokees  and  Catawbas,  and  we  agreed  to  a  peace,  if  those  nations 
would  send  some  of  their  great  men  to  us  to  confirm  it  face  to  face,  *  *  * 
but  they  never  came=" — Oolden't  History  of  <Ae  Six  Nations, 


LIPB   OP  SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    BART. 


898 


a  the  twenty- 


eighth  of  June.  Commissioners  from  the  colonies  of  chap. 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  ua^  South  Carolina  were  in  v_^_/ 
attendance.  Governor  Clinton  was  also  present,  accoto- 1'*^* 
panied  by  Doctor  Colden,  James  Alexander,  James  De 
Lancey  and  Edward  Holland,  members  of  the  executive 
council.  William  BulJ,  the  commissioner  from  South 
Carolina,  and  one  of  the  counsellors  of  that  province, 
brought  with  him  the  king  of  the  Catawbas,  aqd  five  of 
their  sachems,  who  came  on  behalf  of  their  people  to  treat 
with  the  Six  Kations,  The  first  day  was  chiefly  taken 
up  in  treating  with  a  party  of  Michillimackinac  and 
Caughnawaga  Indians,  who,  chancing  to  be  in  the  vicinity 
at  this  time,  came  in  their  canoes  to  Albany,  "  as  a  com- 
pliment," as  they  expressed  it,  "to  his  excellency;"* — 
while  by  the  Six  Nations,  this  interval  was  occupied  in 
various  forms  and  ceremonies  usual  when  entering  upon 
a  sol  emn  and  lasting  treaty. 

Early  on  the  following  morning,  the  Six  Nations  waited 
upon  the  governor,  and  desired  a  private  interview.  It 
was  their  wish,  they  said,  to  speak  with  him  before  the 
general  council  was  opened,  upon  a  matter  which  h^d 
been  discussed  that  morning  in  their  private  deliberations. 
The  audience  was,  of  course,  granted,  and  as  soon  as  the 
delegation  was  admitted,  Hendrik,  the  Mohawk,  proceeded 
to  explain  the  object  of  their  visit.  They  had  come  to 
consult  with  their  Brother  Corlear  in  relation  to  Colonel 
Johnson.  When  the  war  broke  out,  he  had  been  recom- 
mended to  them  by  his  excellency,  who  had  then  told  them 
that  whatever  the  colonel  said  to  them  they  might  rely  on 
as  coming  from  himself.  Moreover,  as  they  had  no  hi\jxd 
in  his  appointment  to  the  charge  of  their  aflfairs,  §o 
neither  had  they  been  instrumental  in  his  resignation ;  and 
he  might  judge  therefore  how  shocked  they  were,  on 
receiving  from  Mr.  Johnson  a  belt  notifying  tjiem  of  Ifis 

'  The  Caughnawagas,  at  the  same  time,  said  that  they  would  immediately 
leave  the  city ;  but  so  dilatory  were  they,  that  Mf .  Qliutop  was  obliged  to 
send  the  Sheriff  to  expedite  their  departure. 

50 


;il 


'i 


394 


LIFE  OP   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CRAP,  intention  to  give  up  tlie  caro  of  their  affairs.    "  Wo  had 
v—v— 'liini,"  he  continued,  "  in  war,  when  he  was  like  a  tree  that 
1/61.  grew  for  our  use,  which  now  socms  to  be  fulling  down, 
though  it  has  many  roots.     His  knowledge  of  our  aftairs 
made  us  think  him  an  Indian  like  ourselves ;  and  we  aro 
greatly  afraid,  as  he  has  declined,  that  your  excellency  will 
appoint  some  person — a  stranger  both  to  us  and  our  aftUirs." 
They  therefore  desired  tlie  governor  to  immediately  ruin- 
Btate  the    colonel,  and  lot  them  know    his    decision   as 
soon  as  possible — "  for,"  added  the  Mohawk  sachem,  "ho 
has  large  ears,  and  heareth  a  great  deal ;  and  what  he  hears 
he  tells  to  us.    He  has  also   large  eyes,  and  sees  a  groat 
way,  and  conceals  nothing  from  us."    In  his  reply,  on  the 
following  day,  Mr.  Clinton  stated  that  the  recent  action  of 
Colonel  Johnson  had  been  taken  contrary  to  his  desire, 
and  that  his  absence  at  this  time  was  entirely  unexpected, 
inasmuch  as  he  had  promised  to  be  present  and  assist  him 
with  his  advice.    But  since  he  absolutely  refused  to  take 
any  farther  charge  of  their  affairs,  he  could  not  help  it, 
and  he  should  therefore  be  obliged  to  appoint  some  other 
in  his  place.     They  might,  however,  rest  assured,  that  in 
the  appointment  of  a  successor,  he  should  be  governed 
solely  by  a  desire  to  promote  their  welfare  which  he  had 
truly  at  heart.     "You  have  more  reason,"  added  Mr.  Clin- 
ton "  to  trust  me  in  this,  since  Colonel  Johnson,  by  whom 
you  have  been  so  well  cared  for,  was  my  own  selection." ' 
The  answer  of  the  Indians  was  characteristic.     They  told 
the  governor  that  one-half  of  Colonel  Johnson  belonged 
to  his  excellency,  and  the  other  to  them ;  and  that  since  lie 
could  not  prevail  on  the  colonel  to  come  down,  they  begged 
permission  to  try  their  influence  by  sending  a  message  to 
him  with  a  string  of  wampum.    This  request  having  been 
granted,  provided  they  were  as  expeditious  as  possible, 
Hendrik  immediately  dispatched  a  fleet  runner  to  Mount 
Johfison,  with  the  remark  that "  he  would  go  sooner  than  a 
horse." 

^  MsnuBoript  council  minutes. 


LIFE  OF  8IR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


895 


Colonel  Joh,      ^,   who  was  already  on  his  way  to  the  chap. 
council,  met  the  Indian  messenger  near  Schenectady ;  and>_^,w 
on  his  arrival  in  Albany,  ho  was  informed  by  Mr.  Clinton  1761. 
of  the  state  of  feeling   among  the  Confederates,  and  in 
behalf  of   his   majesty's  council,  earnestly  requested  to 
continue  in  the  charge  of  their  aifairs.    To  this  request, 
the  colonel,  who  felt  too  much  hurt  at  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  been  treated  by  the  assembly  to  change  his  resolu- 
tion, gave  a  courteous  but  decided  refusal.    At  the  same 
time,  however,  his  reasons  for  this  course  were  given  in 
full.    It  was  impossible,  he  said,  to  continue  longer  in  the 
management  of  Indian  aft'airs,  without  great  detriment,  if 
not  ruin,  to  his  private  fortune.    It  was  well  known  that 
prior  to  the  third  day  of  November,  1748,  he  had  advanced 
from  his  own  purse,  for  the  Indian  department  and  the 
supply  of  the  garrison  at  Oswego — after  others  had  declined 
supplying  that  post  because  of  the  war-^-the  sum  of 
£7,177  35.  2d. ;  and  that  of  this  amount,  although  the  items 
had  all  been  duly  sworn  to  by  him  and  delivered  into  the 
assembly,  that  body  had  made  provision  only  for  X5,801  Is. 
4(/.,  leaving  due  a  balance  of  £1,375 155.  lOrf.,  for  which  no 
provision  had  as  yet  been  made.     He  farther  stated,  that 
of  this  £5,801  75.  ^d.,  for  which  he  had  received  warrants 
on  the  treasurer  several  years  since,  there  remained  £2,401 
still  unpaid,  and  that  too,  although  he  had  good  reason  to 
believe  that  the  Oswego   duties — the   fund  out  of  which 
those  warrants  were  paid — were  amply  sufficient  to  pay 
all  drafts  made  upon  it.     This  state  of  things  was  also  the 
more  galling,  since  he  was  well  aware  that  warrants  to 
others,  of  a  much  later  date  than  his  own,  had  been  paid 
without  any  hesitation;  while  at  the  same  time,  no  steps 
had  been  taken  to  compensate  him  for  this  delay  in  the 
payment  of  these  advances.     He  also  reminded  Mr.  Clin- 
ton, that  in  addition  to  all  this,  he  had  advanced,  at  his 
excellency's  request,  since  the  third  day  of  November 
1748,  for  the  same  otyects,  the  farther  sum  of  £595  125.  Sd., 
of  which  he  had  received  no  part,  nor  did  he  know  of  any 


896 


LIPE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


■'^X''> 


ohAh  prdviflion  made  to  meet  it.  In  view  therefore  of  all  these 
^—^  consicleWitionB,  while  ho  entertained  the  kindest  feelings 
17W'  toward  the  government,  ho  could  not,  in  justice  to 
himself,  continue  longer  in  the  Indian  department — 
©specially  since  he  could  have  no  reason  to  depend  on  the 
assembly  to  provide  for  future  advances.  At  the  same 
time,  however,  ho  expressed  his  willingness  to  render  all 
assistance,  in  an  individual  capacity,  during  the  present 
treaty. ' 

The  colonel's  answer  having  been  laid  before  the  coun- 
cil, the  latter  desired  the  governor  to  exercise  a  supervision 
of  Indifen  feft'airs  during  the  treaty  now  in  progress.  At 
t}?M  same  time,  it  requested  him  to  lay  before  the  crown 
the  "  uncommon  and  gfeat  sufferings,  which  Colonel  Joliu- 
fton  had  sustained"  in  its  behalf,  and  recommend  that 
JStaitabte  recompense  be  given  him,  not  only  for  the  money 
wThich  he  had  advanced,  but  likewise  for  his  personal 
sei-Vicee,  ft>r  which  he  had  made  no  cha.rge. 

Although  the  colonel  had  been  appointed  to  his  majesty's 
(^uridl  in  April  of  the  previous  year,  yet  it  had  not  been 
eonVehioiit  for  him  until  now  to  take  the  oaths  of  office. 
^e  nsnal  oaths  were  accordingly  administered  at  this  time, 
told  he  therelnpOn  took  his  seat  at  the  council  board,— a 
^tki  which  he  continued  to  fill  until  his  decease. 

Everything  beirig  now  in  readiness,  Mr.  Clinton  opened 
t!he  douticil  on  the  sixth  of  July,  With  a  short  speech  to 
the  Six  Nations,  in  which  the  object  of  the  present  meet- 
ing was  fully  set  forth.  It  was,  he  said,  to  brighten  and 
Btrengtheti  the  covenant  chain,  that  it  riiight  endure  for  all 
time  against  the  designs  of  their  enemies*  1'he  governor 
of  Canada,  especially,  was  endeavoring  to  break  this  chain, 
Tjy  obstructing  the  trade  between  Albany  and  those  distant 
Indians  who  passed  through  their  country.  "Another 
artifice,"  he  continued,  "which  the  enemies  of  our  covenant 
chain  make  use  of,  is,  to  excite  variance  and  war  between 
the   several  Indian  nations  that  are   united  with  your 

'  Manuscript  council  minutes. 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLI 


^UirHO:        DART. 


897 


«  of  this  <freatcHAP. 

"  XL 


brethren   the  English,  in  the        eral  pai 
continent.     Nothing  can  so  oflriuany  w     kon  and  at  last 
entirely  destroy  the  brethren,  as  their  falling  out  among  ^^^^ 
tliomselves,   and  eventually  killing  and  destroying  one 
another.     This  is  doing  the  work  of  your  enemies ;  while 
they  sit  looking  on  and  laugh  at  your  folly.     K  all  the 
Indian  Nations,  united  in  friendship  with  Carolina,  Vir- 
ginia, Maryland,   Pennsylvania,  this  government,   Con- 
necticut,  Massachusetts  Bay  and  New  Hampshire,  were 
truly  and  firmly  united  in  the  same  councils,  with  love  and 
friendship,  how  great  would  that  power  be,  what  dread 
must  it  strike  on  your  enemies,  and  who  would  dare 
attempt  to  hurt  them.     In  order  to  accomplish  this  so  much 
to  be  desired  union,  I  have  prevailed  upon  the  governor 
of  South  Carolina  to  send  a  gentleman  to  this  place,  whom 
you  now  see  here,  and  to  send  with  him  six  of  the  chiefs 
of  the  Catawbas,  who  are  now  in  this  city  ready  to  make 
peace  with  you  and  to  become  your  fast  friends,  and  to 
unite  with  you  in  our  common  cause — as  in  your  former 
treaties  in  this  place,  you  desired  and  solemnly  promised 
to  receive  them  as  one  flesh  and  blood  with  you  on  their 
coming  to  it.    I  therefore,  by  this  belt,  excite  you  to  lay 
hold  of  the  proffered  peace  and  friendship  with  the  Cataw- 
bas.   It  must  tend  to  strengthen  the  covenant  chain  and 
the  common  interest  of  us  all.    I  can  no  longer  bear  to 
see  those  who  are  our  brethren,  killing  and  destroying  one 
another,  and  therefore  I  cannot  doubt  of  your  cheerfully 
agreeing  to  what  I  now  propose." 

Two  days  afterward,  the  Confederates  replied  that  as 
the  commissioners  came  to  renew  the  covenant  chain  with 
the  Six  Nations,  they  also  were  there  for  the  same  purpose ; 
and  that  as  it  was  the  wish  of  their  brother  Corlear,  that 
they  should  make  peace  with  the  Catawbas,  they  would 
see  and  talk  with  them  upon  the  subject.  Mr.  Bull  then 
rose,  and  read  a  letter  from  the  governor  of  South  Carolina, 
expressive  of  his  good  will,  and  of  his  hopes  that  they 
would  conclude  a  treaty  with  the  Catawbas  and  keep  the 


'•f^m^ 


808 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOIINHOK,  DART< 


1761. 


CHAP,  covenant  chain  over  bright  and  Vvce  t'roui  ruHt.  He  lol^ 
^  lowed  tho  reading  of  tho  letter  by  a  tew  renmrltH  iij  u 
pleasant  utrain,  closing  aa  follows :  ^*  Wo  have  lioard  what 
hitt  excellency,  Governor  Clinton  baa  naid  concerning  a 
peace,  and  what  his  oxcollencyy  the  governor  of  South 
Carolina,  has  written  to  you,  and  al«o  what  I  have  now  aaid. 
You  will  hear  next  what  tho  chiefa  of  the  Catawbaa,  who 
came  here  with  nie  will  say.  They  came  to  this  council 
fire  at  Albany,  to  meet  you,  in  order  to  make  peace  witii 
you.  They  know  it  ie  tho  desire  of  the  Engliah  thatpeuco 
should  bo  made  between  you,  and  you  know  it  is  the  deHiro 
of  tho  Engliah,  also.  To  open  your  ears,  I  give  you  this 
belt  of  wampum." 

Aa  soon  as  tho  South  Carolina  commissioner  had 
fiuiahed,  tho  Catawba  king  and  hia  chiefa  approached  tlio 
grand  council  singing  a  song  of  peace;  their  entjigiiH, 
(colored  feathera)  being  borne  horizontally.  "  Every  ono 
present  admired  the  decorum  and  dignity  of  tjieir  behavior, 
as  well  as  the  solemn  air  of  their  song.  A  seat  was  pro- 
pared  for  them  at  tho  right  hand  of  the  governor's  com- 
pany. Their  two  singers,  with  tho  two  ensigns  of  feathers, 
continued  their  song,  half  fronting  to  the  centre  of  the 
old  sachems,  to  whom  they  addressed  their  song,  and 
pointed  their  feathers,  shaking  their  musical  calabashes, 
while  the  Catawba  king  was  bueily  preparing  and  lighting 
the  calumet  of  peace.  The  king  first  smoked,  and  \)re- 
sented  the  calumet  to  Hendrik,  who  gracefully  accepted 
it  and  smoked.  The  king  tlien  passed  the  pipe  to  each 
sachem  in  the  front  rank,  and  several  in  the  second  rank 
reached  to  receive  it  from  him,  to  smoke  also.  The 
Catawba  singers  then  ceased,  and  fastened  their  feathers, 
calumets,  and  calabashes  to  the  tent  pole ;  after  whicli  the 
king  stood  up  and  advancing,  thus  addressed  the  Six 
Nations" ' 

"  ^Friends:  I,  last  year,  with  the  advice  of  my  great  men, 


I  This  description  is  taken  from  Drayton  to  whom  it  was  related  by  an  eye 
witness. 


LIFH  OF   SIR    WlU.IyWW   JOHNSON,    fiAUT. 


890 


dctcrminofl  to  mako  a  poaco  with  you,  and  not  out  for  tlmtcHAp. 
piU'poHo,  hut  wan  takoti  sick  hy  tho  way,  which  hiiKk-rcdv— y— ' 
me.     Tho  nanio  resolution  remained  in  n»y  heart,  and  thc^^**'- 
governor  of  Carolina,  agreoinjjf  witli  mo,  consented  to  sond 
a  vessel  to  New  York,  that  wo  might  meet  you  hero  at  this 
treaty,  which  greatly  rejoiced  me,  and  wlien  I  came  away 
my  towns  all  shook  hands  with  ino,  and  desired  mo,  for 
thom,  to  make  a  peace ;  and  I  give  this  holt,  which  has  all 
my  towns  upon  it,  signifying  that  tliey  all  join  in  my  desire. 
We  are  all  friends  to  tho  English  and  desire  to  ])0  so 
with  our  brethren  the  Six  Nations ;  and  as  some  of  your 
people  are  now  out,  that  do  nut  know  of  the  peace,  when 
they  are  all  returned,  and  tho  path  clear  and  safe,  I  will 
come  to  your  towns  and  houses,  and  smoke  with  you,  as  I 
would  in  my  own." ' 

Tho  king  of  the  Cata^has,  and  the  sachems  with  him, 
then  advanced  and  shook  hands  with  tho  Six  Nations,  who 
thereupon  replied :  ' 

'♦  Brethren :  We  are  glad  to  see  you  hero,  and  return  you 
thanks  fc"  your  kind  speech.  But  as  it  is  a  thing  of 
moment,  we  must  take  time  to  consider  of  it,  and  shall 
answer  you  this  evening  or  to-morrow  morning." 

It  was  not,  however,  until  the  tenth,  that  the  Confede- 
rates were  ready  to  give  their  answer ;  when  their  chief 
sachem,  having  lighted  a  pipe  and  handed  it  to  the  Cataw- 
bas,  thus  spoke  : 

Brethren  the  Catawbas :  You  came  to  our  towns  and  fires 
to  make  peace  vdth  us,  and  we  have  heard  your  kind  speech, 
and  thank  you  for  it,  and  as  a  token  that  you  came  to 
make  peace,  and  were  received  as  our  friends,  we  give  you 
this  white  belt  of  wampum,  to  wear  about  your  necks,  that 
all  that  see  it,  may  know  that  you  have  been  here  and  were 
received  as  our  friends. 

This  belt  serves  to  make  you  more  powerful,  and  give 
you  short  horns  ;  it  has  been  a  custom  among  all  Indian 
nations,  that  when  they  come  to  sue  for  peace,  they  bring 

*  Council  minutes. 


I 

f 


./> 


.*llt' 


400 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


]761, 


c^''8oine  prisoners  with  them,  and  when  you  return  with 

'  prisoners,  the  peace  shall  he  completed,  and  your  horns 

lengthened,  and  we  give  you  a  year  to  return  with  your 

prisoners,  and  if  you  do  not  come  in  that  time,  we  shall 

look  upon  the  peace  as  void, 

We  will  take  your  pipe  up  to  the  Mohavfk's  castles, 
being  the  first  town  you  came  to,  as  it  were,  and  there  sit 
and  smoke,  and  think  of  you,  and  not  go  out  to  war,  if 
you  return  within  the  time  appointed  by  us." 

The  treaty  having  been  thus  mp,de.  Governor  Clinton 
distributed  the  presents,  brought  by  the  commissioners, 
amojig  the  Indians,  and  the  council  was  formally  dismissed ; 
but  not  until  "  the  hatchet  was  buried  irrecoverably  deep, 
and  a  tree  of  peace  planted,  which  was  to  be  green  as  the 
Alleganies,  and  to  spread  its  branches  till  its  shadow  should 
reach  from  the  great  lakes  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico,"  *1 

The  general  efiect  of  this  council,  upon  the  Indians  at 
least,  was  satisfactory.  Although  Governor  Clinton  was  un- 
successful in  persuading  the  several  colonies  to  join  in  an 
alliance  against  the  machinations  of  the  French,  yet  the 
main  object — ^that  of  prevailing  upon  the  Bix  Nations  to 
conclude  a  treaty  with  the  Catawbas — was  accomplished. 
Early  in  June  of  the  following  year,  the  Catawbas,  desi- 
rous of  performing  their  part  of  the  agreement,  sent  to  the 
Confederates  a  Cayuga  prisoner  in  chairge  of  four  of  their 
warriors  ;  and  thus  the  feeling  of  hatred  entertained  by  the 
6ix  Nations  toward  that  nation'— which  had  been  so  bitter 
before  the  treaty,  as  to  cause  the  confinement  of  the 
Catawba  chiefs  in  a  separate  apartment-'-was  now  changed 
to  that  of  cordial  friendship. '     "  *  '^  > 

1  Bancroft. 

« Manuscript  letter :  John  Ogilvie  to  Colonel  Johnson.  The  Catawbas,  at 
the  time  of  the  treaty,  held  in  captivity  three  of  the  Six  Nations ;  but  during 
the  year  one  had  died,  and  the  other  refused  to  come  by  sea,  preferring  to 
remain  in  South  Carolina  untii  he  could  oome  by  land. — Qevernor  Olen  to 
,Qovemor  CUttloH, 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  Catawba  braves,  Johnson  wrote  to  Clin- 
ton, that  the  pence  between  that  people  and  the  Confe,der/tt,e8  w,w  fully 


IXKMi'ritlUlilfc: 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


401 


Previous  to  his  departure  for  Albany,  Mr.  Clinton  had  chap. 
requested  a  farther  appropriation  for  Indian  presents  in  w^—* 
addition  to  the  sum  voted  at  a  former  session ;  and  the  i^^l* 
legislature,  in  a  better  spirit  than  usual,  had  at  that  time 
promised  to  supply  any  deficiency  in  that  regard,  which 
might  arise,  in  brightening  the  covenant-chain  with  the 
Six  Nations.  In  the  fall  session  of  the  assembly,  however, 
the  spirit  of  faction  was  again  manifest,  notwithstanding 
three  of  the  chief  leaders  of  the  opposition  had  died  since 
its  luTt  sitting — Mr.  Clarkson,  Mr.  Philipse  and  Mr.  Mi- 
chaux.  In  his  opening  message,  on  the  eighth  of  October, 
Mr.  Clinton  communicated  to  the  house  the  result  of  the 
late  treaty.  The  resignation  of  Colonel  Johnson  was  at- 
tributed to  its  negligence  in  omitting  to  pass  bills  adequate 
for  the  support  of  the  Indian  department ;  and  the  designs 
of  the  French,  and  the  consequent  importance  of  sending 
agents  to  the  distant  western  tribes,  urged.  The  message 
closed  by  asking  for  the  usual  supplies  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  the  government. 

The  house  in  its  answer,  the  following  day,  said  that  it 
would  cheerfully  provide  for  the  support  of  his  majesty's 
government,  and  make  provision  for  all  the  just  debts  that, 
on  exaniination,  should  be  found  chargeable  on  the  colony ; 
that  it  was  well  aware  that  the  security  of  the  colonies 
depended,  in  a  great  degree,  upon  the  fidelity  of  the 
Indians,  but  it  had  hoped  that  the  sum  of  one  thousand 
pounds,  voted  for  that  purpose,  would  have  been  amply 
sufficient  to  place  the  Indian  affairs  on  such  a  basis,  as  to 
render  a  farther  sum  unnecessary.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
several  particulars  of  his  excellency's  speech  should  be  at- 
tentively considered,  and  that  which  was  judged  best  for 
his  majesty's  service,  and  for  the  welfare  of  the  colony, 
should  be  done.  Finally,  it  reminded  his  excellency,  that 
many  of  the  members  had  not  been  notified  by  the  usual 

ratified  ;  and  that  the  Catawbas  had  returned  into  their  own  country,  es- 
corted by  several  Iroquois  warriors,  who  had  volunteered  to  see  them  safely 
through  those  nations,  who  might  not  have  heard  of  the  recent  penoe. 

51 


■n 


,1   '' 


%  V 


m  ^^ 


402 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


o»Af.  circular  letters  of  the  present  session  of  the  assembly,  a 
^—y-^  circumstance  which  it  hoped  would  not  again  occur.    Mr. 
1761.  Clinton,  in  his  answer,  stated  that  while  it  was  true  that 
the  presents  which  he  had  given  the  Indians,  at  Albany, 
had  produced  a  favorable  efl'ect,  yet,  unless  the  oxpenee 
of  daily  providing  for  them  was  met,  the  good  impression 
made  at  that  time  would  soon  be  obliterated  by  the  French 
priests.    He  also  promised  to  lay  before  the  assembly  in  a 
few  days  information  lately  received  upon  this  point,  which 
would  render  his  remarks  more  clear.    Alluding  to  the 
thousand  pounds  to  which  reference  had  been  made, 
nothing,  he  said,  would  give  him  greater  pleasure  than  to 
send  down  to  the  house  a  full  account  of  the  manner  in 
which  it  had  been  expended ;  and  as  to  the  neglect,  of 
which  he  had  been  accused,  in  not  notifying  the  members, 
it  was  not  true,  as  his  deputy  secretary  had  sent  letters  to 
all  the  members,  with  the  exception  of  the  speaker.    He 
farther  added,  in  conclusion,  that  he  had  made  this  expla- 
nation to  show  how  entirely  he  was  influenced  by  the  de- 
sire of  advancing  the  security  and  welfare  of  the  colony.^ 
In  accordance  with  his  promise,  Mr.  Clinton,  on  the 
ninth,  sent  to  the  house  the  accounts  relating  to  the  dis- 
position of  the  thousand  pounds,  accompanied  with  ex- 
tracts from  the  minutes  of  the  late  council.*         ,, 

On  the  thirteenth  of  September,  Mr.  Clinton  had 
laid  before  his  privy  council  letters  from  Colonel  John- 
80n  and  Captain  Stoddard,  the  contents  of  which  were 
indeed  startling.  From  a  French  deserter  the  Colonel 
learned  that  a  convoy  of  twelve  hundred  French,  ac- 
companied by  two  hundred  Adirondack  Indians,  had 
passed  by  Oswego  about  a  fortnight  before,  with  the  ob- 
ject, 80  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  of  cutting  off  those 
western  tribes  friendly  to  the  English,  and  driving  off  the 
Pennsylvania  traders,  who  were  erecting  trading  posts  on 
the  Ohio.    Captain  Stoddard's  letter,  also,  confirmed  this 

■»—      r  ^    mm ■      -^-w »■       !■■■  i       !■■■■  iw  — ■  i       i    ■■    n  i       n    ■  i  i    ■        i  ■!  ■* 

1  Jounuls  of  the  Maembly. 
'  Couaoil  miuutas. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


408 


)  assembly,  a 
1  occur.    Mr. 
vas  true  that 
B,  at  Albany, 
\  the  expense 
od  impresBion 
by  the  French 
assembly  in  a 
s  point,  which 
luding  to  the 
,  been  made, 
easure  than  to 
the  manner  in 
he  neglect,  of 
y  the  members, 
I  sent  letters  to 
e  speaker.    He 
lade  this  expla- 
aced  by  the  de- 
of  the  colony.* 
Clinton,  on  the 
,ting  to  the  dis- 
lanied  with  ex- 

2 

..    Clinton  had 
,  Colonel  John- 
of  which  were 
;er  the  Colonel 
■ed  Trench,  ac- 
Indians,  had 
|re,  with  the  ob- 
•utting  off  those 
driving  off  the 

trading  posts  on 
confirmed  this 


intelligence.    Johnson  farther  wrote,  that  on  the  recep-caAP* 
tion  of  this  news,  he  had  immediately  dispatched  a  mes-vl.,,-.^ 
senger,  in  the  governor's  name,  with  a  belt  of  wampum,  1751. 
to  all  the  castles  of  the  Six  Nations,  informing  them  of  the 
march  of  the  French.    Letters  arrived,  at  nearly  the  same 
time,  from  Lieutenant  Lindesay,  in  command  at  Oswego, 
to  the  effect  that  a  Cayuga  sachem  had  arrived  from  the 
Missessagas,  bringing  the  intelligence  that  the  French 
were  building  a  large  vessel  at  Cadaracqui,  with  the  de- 
sign of  attacking  his  post.^    Copies  of  these  letters,  Mr. 
Clinton  now  laid  before  the  assembly,  for  its  perusal 
and  careful  consideration.     " ;  <  •      -^    r  i  -^  • ;  ?  •;  t  ;  i- » Tii j  n : ;  i » 

The  apparent  good  temper,  however,  with  which  the 
proceedings  between  the  executive  and  the  assembly  had 
thus  far  been  conducted,  was  destined  to  be  of  short  du- 
ration. The  house  having  on  the  sixteenth  sent  up  toi 
the  council  for  its  approval  "  an  act  for  paying  several  de- 
mands made  on  the  colony,"  the  latter  replied,  on  th© 
eighteenth,  by  sending  Colonel  Johnson  to  request  of  that 
body  the  vouchers  for  the  several  demands  provided  for 
m  the  bill.  This  was  applying  the  torch  to  the  powder. 
The  house  flamed  at  once.  It  immediately  resolvedy 
that  '*  the  demand  was  of  an  extraordinary  and  unprece- 
dented nature ;"  and  that  its  consideration  should  be  po8l>' 
poned  until  after  the  first  of  the  ensuing  May.  No  sooner 
had  this  action  been  communicated  to  the  council,  when 
they,  in  turn,  becoming  indignant,  resolved  that  it  was 

■■    ■  ■    ■'  "       '         •■■'■■  iBWi.i     n  ■-!  I  ■   I  ■   I    I   III  ■■   ■■III   Hii  ■  ■   ■  ■     I  II  ■       ■     >K-».>ia^mm*T«  ■>        mil        ■ 

'John  Lindesay,  founder  Off  the  Cherry  Valley  settlement,  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  and  in  December,  1780,  received  firom  his  countryman,  OoTernor 
Montgomerie,  the  commission  of  naval  officer  for  the  port  of  New  York. 
He  filled  various  other  important  offices,  until,  in  1744,  Mr.  Lindesay  as- 
sumed the  command  of  the  fort  at  Oswego,  Lieutenant  Congreve  resigning 
in  his  favor.  In  1747,  at  the  request  of  the  Oswego  traders  and  the  Six 
Nations,  Lieutenant  Lindesay  was  continued  in  command  of  that  post  until 
1749,  when  he  was  appointed  Indian  commissary  and  agent  for  Oswego, 
which  latter  situation  he  retained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the 
Utter  part  of  thi«  year.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  Mr.  Lindsay  was  a 
lieutenant  in  Captain  Clark's  company  of  Independent  Fusileers. — Camp- 
^^sSiitory  of  Try  on  County. 


m 


-"«*if*..,. 


0-. 


m  -: 


404 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1761, 


OTAP. their  unquestionable  right  to  call  for  the  vouchers;  inas- 
^  much  as  the  sum,  sufficient  for  the  demand,  was  to  come 
out  of  the  royal  revenue,  and  that  their  consent  was  there- 
fore necessary.     They  also  resolved,  that  they  would  not 
proceed  on  the  bill  until  the  vouchers  appeared  before 
them ;  and  at  the  same  sitting,  in  no  very  amiable  state 
of  mind,  sent  Colonel  Johnson  again  to  the  house  with  a 
bill  of  their  own^  for  "  applying  the  sum  of  five  hundred 
pounds,   for  the  management  of  Indian  aft'airs,  and  for 
repairing  the  garrison  at  Oswego."    The  passage  of  this 
bill  by  the  council,  as  might  have  been  foreseen,  was  not 
calculated  to  molify  the  temper  of  the  house  inflamed,  as 
it  was,  by  the  demand  of  the  council  for  the  vouchers. 
The  bill  was  therefore  refused  a  second  reading;  and  a 
motion  was  forthwith  carried, — ^that  inasmuch  as  the  bill 
intrenched  on  the  "  great,  essential  and  undoubted  right 
of  the  representatives  of  the  people  of  this  colony  to  begin 
all  bills  for  raising  and  disbursing  of  money,  it  should  be 
rejected."*    Directly  upon  the  passage  of  this  resolution, 
the  house  sent  up  to  the  governor  an  address,  prepared  in 
the  same  churlish  manner  as  in  times  past.    In  it,  the  lack 
ukoney  for  Indian  affairs  was  greatly  lamented—as  i^ 
indeed,  it  was  not  owing  to  themselves  that  a  larger  sum 
had  not  been  voted.    They  even  carried  their  spleen  so  far, 
as  to  hint  that  the  governor  had  used  the  thousand  pounds 
for  purposes  other  than  the  public  benefit;  and  that  it 
was  through  his  neglect  that  the  Indian  affairs  were  in  such 
a  condition.    In  conclusion,  they  threw  upon  the  council 
the  evil  effects  which  would  result  fi&rD.  its  refiisal  to  pass 
the  bill  for  the  discharge  of  the  colony  debt ;  and  prayed 
the  governor  to  pass  straightway  those  of  the  bills  which 
he  approved.    Three  or  four  more  days  were  taken  up  in 
wrangling  and  puerile  resolves,  until  Mr.  Clinton,  who 
had  learned  by  experience  the  folly  of  any  farther  altercar 
tion,  and  passed  all  the  bills  without  farther  discussion, 
and  without  any  notice  and  to  the  astonishment  of  all, 


'Minutes  of  the  aso  jably. 


,  V  '**''V  .-» 


LIFE  OF   SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


405 


dissolved  the  assembly.    On  the  part  of  Mr.  Clinton  this  crap. 
was  a  master  stroke  of  policy.     The  assembly  were  fairly  w^— ' 
caught.    But  having  passed  the  support  bill  so  early  in  the  ^'^l- 
session,  they  were  left  without  a  remedy.    ''  This  gratified 
Mr.  Clinton   and  the  other  officers  of  the  government; 
while  the  neglect  of  the  colony  creditors,  added  to  the 
governor's  party,  already  strengthened  by  the  appointment 
of  Colonel  Johnson  to  the  council,  and  Mr.  Chambers  to 
the  second  place  on  the  bench."^  ■  I-    aqv<  vf  -i  i  .;iji  >  <    • 

Meanwhile  the  French  were  planning  still  farther 
encroachments  upon  the  territory  of  New  York.  Already 
they  possessed  Crown  Point,  La  Presentation  and  ^Niagara, 
and  encouraged  by  the  pusillanimity  which  had  allowed 
them  to  take  possession  of  those  posts,  they  were  now 
meditating  the  establishment  of  a  military  and  missionary 
post  on  the  banks  of  Onondaga  Lake,  which,  while  it 
would  secure  a  foothold  in  the  very  heart  of  the  province, 
wou'd  also,  they  thought,  greatly  strengthen  their  influence 
over  the  Six  Nations.  Preliminaiy  to  this  audacious  step, 
it  was  necessary  that  the  Confederates,  especially  those 
residing  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  lake,  should  be 
courted  into  giving  their  consent.  Accordingly  the  Jesuit 
dirisBaries  insinuated  themselves  deeper  than  ever  into  the 
affections  of  that  fickle  people,  and  with  such  success, 
that  at  the  close  of  the  sumiflet",  several  of  the  principal 
Onondagas  had  granted  the  desired  permission. 

Such  a  design,  however,  could  not  long  escape  the  vigil- 
ance of  Colonel  Johnson,  who  no  sooner  heard  through 
the  Mohawks  of  the  scheme  afoot,  when,  braving  the 
autumnal  rains,  he  set  oS  for  the  old  fire-place  of  the 
Confederacy,  hoping,  if  possible,  to  defeat  the  machina- 
tions of  La  Galissoni^re  and  his  wily  priests.  Arrived  at 
Onondaga,  he  lost  no  time  in  summoning  the  chief  men 
of  that  castle  to  a  conference,  in  which  after  laying  before 
them  the  dangerous  consequences  resulting  from  a  French 

1  Smith. 


I 


406 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


c^p.  settlement  in  the  very  centre  of  their  Confederacy,  boldly 
w V— '  desired  them,  as  a  proof  of  their  esteem,  to  grant  him 
1751.  Onondaga  Lake  with  the  land  around  it  for  two  miles  in 
width — ^promising  them  in  return  a  handsome  present. 
This  sudden  appearance  of  the  colonel  upset  at  once  all 
the  deep  laid  plans  of  the  Jesuits.  Mortified  at  being  thus 
caught  in  the  very  act  of  lending  an  ear  to  their  ancient 
enemies,  the  chiefs  hung  their  heads  anH  in  confusion 
agreed  to  his  proposition.  A  deed  conveying  the  entire 
lake  with  its  two  milos  of  land,  ws-s  accordingly  made  out 
on  the  spot,  and  signed  by  the  entire  cast'  ,  the  latter 
receiving  in  return,  the  sum  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  sterling.  Immediately  on  his  arrival  home,  the 
colonel  who  had  in  making  this  purchase  no  other  object 
than  that  of  securing  the  property  to  the  crown,  and  the 
consequent  defeat  of  the  French,  communicated  an  account 
of  the  transaction  to  Mr.  Clinton, — at  the  same  time  offer- 
ing the  land  to  the  government  of  New  York  at  the  same 
price  which  it  had  cost  him.  Refusing,  however,  to  appre- 
ciate the  important  service  which  he  had  thus  rendered, 
the  assembly  refused  to  reimburse  him  for  the  land;  and 
the  matter  thus  rested  until  the  summer  of  1753,  when  a 
minute  was  made  in  council,  granting  this  tract  to  him  and 
his  heirs,  by  way  of  reimbursement  for  the  sum  advanced 
by  him  for  the  Indian  department.  *  Otherwise  than  this, 
his  debt  from  the  colony  was  never  paid. 

1  ManuBcript  council  minutes. 


;..       :  ,'{1'»' 


•.U-        Mli   '.  ■'!' 


-...}■■.'■■!  ,.tf_  ■(■; 


.V,  rl,,    0-1  ■■■'■.■■■'■      -':       "    '•>!■,.      ■'     '      "l: 

■•■:..)•!.         ;   j        '     .  _i.i;' j'.M  ■  >'i'"' 

■■\',  '■'■'■  \  :'':  '  '')\  ")■  •;:■.•'■  .  ■'  ■■'•  ' 
,  ■;.'i.-  1,;,,  ■■.>  -fi  :•■  /  •>  '  ..,_  I  •'  '■  ' 
,,,j  •.    •,  _.  •)  '■  -i  •  li  -     1  ••!;;: '  I  .'  '■ ;.: 

.,■!'  .      -i'  ,i  ,-■  .'C(V'    ■■!':••■■:,  *•■■'    ':•■■' 


. !.!  r',' 


*;    '■  '-.•■.'...'ir'. 
'■>  (U:':.>  i*.!  'lU  ''' 


. li,    .  .  . 


.    .'I 


:k..'  i'j  iiii 


.1:/ 


u-  ■»:•; 


CHAPTER  XII.    ■'  '  ;'     ' 

1752—1763. 

With  the  opening  of  the  year,  dawned  a  new  era  in  chap. 
American  literature.  Signs  of  a  greater  appreciation  of  w^I^ 
learning  and  a  desire  for  literary  pursuits  among  the  ^'^^2. 
colonies,  are  in  this  year  too  apparent  not  to  deserve  a 
passing  notice.  The  clang  of  steel  and  the  midnight  alarms 
had  now  ceased ;  and  in  the  calm  thought  which  followed, 
the  literary  seeds  that  had  for  so  long  a  period  laid  dor- 
mant, found  a  rich  soil  in  which  to  germinate  and  bring 
forth  fruit.  As  in  the  age  of  the  Reformation,  and  of 
Louis  XTV,  a  company  of  stalwart  literary  giants  sprung 
forth  from  the  previous  darkness ,  so  in  the  period  we  are 
now  upon,  a  score  of  men  of  power  and  vigorous  intellect 
rose  up  in  America,  infusing  new  vigor  into  every  depart- 
ment of  letters  with  which  they  came  in  contact.  The 
theological  writings  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  with  all  their 
depth  of  philosophical  eloquence,  gave  an  impetus  to 
that  branch  of  scholarship  hitherto  unknown.  It  was  in 
this  year  that  Franklin  electrified  the  savans  of  the  Old 
World  with  his  grand  discovery.  The  universities  of  New 
England  awoke  to  new  life  and  activity.  Schemes  for  the 
advancement  of  learning  sprung  up  in  the  different 
provinces  with  wonderful  rapidity.  Libraries  and  philo- 
sophical societies  were  formed  in  every  direction.  Several 
men  distinguished  in  the  walks  of  scientific  research  visited 
America,  and  by  their  cordial  sympathy  encouraged  greatly 
the  enquirer  after  truth.  The  eye  turns  wdth  pleasure  to 
the  names  of  John  Winthrop,  professor  of  mathematics  at 
Cambridge,  Thomas  Godfrey,  the  inventor  of  Hadley's 
Quadrant,  David  Rittenhouse  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
numerous  others,  whose  names  shine  with  lustre  upon  the 
page  of  history.  *    Confining  ourselves  to  the  province  of 

'Grahame. 


m^ 


408 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP.  N'ew  York,  Cadwallader  Golden  had  just  completed  that 
w.,— '  remarkable  book — the   *'  History  of  the  Five  Nations ;" 
1752.  j^jj(j  j^  ^jjjg  ygm.  ^j^g  founding  of  Kings  College  b  ^^n  to 
be  seriously  urged.     .  •.    ..^. ,.,  .•   .   ,     , 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  with  this  literary  zeal  per- 
vading  every  mind,  an  intelligent  man  like  Johnson  could 
'',  fail  to  be  affected  by  it.  Although  in  his  spare  momentw, 
heretofore,  he  had  always  manifested  a  great  fondness  for 
literary  pursuits  and  had  repeatedly  sent  out  to  England 
for  books,  yet  having  a  little  leisure  this  year  by  his  resig- 
nation of  Indian  affairs,  he  seems  to  have  devoted  much  of 
his  time  to  improving  his  own  mind,  and  also  the  moral 
and  social  condition  of  those  around  him.  The  manner 
in  which  a  portion  of  his  time  was  spent  at  this  period, 
may  be  inferred  by  the  following  letter  to  his  agent  in 
London. 
■'  t:  vv/  inr.      "Mount  Johnson,  August  the  20th,  1752. 


(( 


Sir: 


li'y'ia  i:  .(ii.tj! 


Having  the  pleasure  of  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
your  brother.  Doctor  Shuckburgh  of  New  York,  whom  I 
have  a  singular  regard  for,  induced  me  to  apply  to  you  for 
what  I  may  want  in  your  way,  although  but  a  trifle.  Having 
lately  had  a  pretty  large  collection  of  books  from  London, 
shall  at  present  only  desire  you  will  please  to  send  .ne 
what  pamphlets  are  new  and  worth  reading ;  also  the  Gen- 
tleman's Magazine  from  Nbv'br.  1750  to  the  last,  and 
the  Monthly  Review  from  the  same  time ;  also  the  News- 
papers regularly  and  stitched  up.  You  have  only  to 
deliver  them  to  Mr.  John  George  Liberwood,  merch't. 
there,  who  will  forward  them  to  me,  and  will  pay  your 
am't.  yeai'ly.  '  i  . 

Having  nothing  farther  to  add  at  present  (but  beg  you 
will  send  me  those  things  regularly  and  punctually)  I  con- 
clude sir,  \  .     ^  ^ 

Y'r  very  humble  serv't.,  W.  J. 

To  Mr.  Shuckburgh,  stationer,  London.  *" 


'  Manuscript  Letter.     See  alBO  appendix  No.  II.  of  Tol.  I. 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


409 


The  intellectual  culture  of  the  Mohawks  was  a  subject  ohap. 
in  which  the  colonel  took  special  interest.     The  mission  w^w 
school  at  Stockbridge  for  Indian  children,  the  plan  of  ^'^^^' 
which  was  first  projected  by  John  Sergeaut  in  1741,  and 
which  after  the  death  of  the  latter  was  carried  on  for  a 
time  by  Jonathan  Edwards,  received  at  this  time  his  par- 
ticular attention.     Sir  Peter  Warren  In  1761  had  donated 
for  the  support  of  this  institution  seven  hundred  pounds, 
and  about  the  same  time  had  expressed  to  his  nephew  a  very 
favorable  opinion  of  its  purpose,  requesting  that  he  would 
use  his  influence  in  its  favor. '    Had  Johnson  previous 
to  this  request  no  other  incentive  for  his  interest  in  it,  this 
would  have  been  sufficient.    His  efforts  were  now  unremit- 
ting to  persuade  the  Mohawks  to  send  their  children  thither; 
and  a  correspondence  was  kept  up  between  himself  and 
the  committee  of  this  school  on  the  subject.    His  advice 
upon  its  management  was  freely  asked  and  as  freely  given ; 
and  in  a  letter  to  him  upon  this  topic,  the  writer  says : 
"I  can't  but  hope  and  pray  for  your  further  assistance  in 
encouraging  the  Indians  to  send  their  children  and  con- 
tinue them  steadily  here,  and  your  thoughts  with  regard 
to  any  measures  that  may  naturally  tend  to  promote  this 
aff'air,  and  be  proper  for  us  further  to  do  or  attempt,  will 
be  very  acceptable. '  .) 

Nor  were  his  efforts  to  benefit  his  savage  neighbors  con- 
fined solely  to  the  school  at  Stockbridge.  He  was  equally 
interested  in  other  missions  wherever  located,  and  always 
used  his  influence  for  their  support  and  encouragement. 
In  the  course  of  the  following  year  (1753)  Rev.  Mr.  Hawley 
was  sent  from  Boston  to  establish  ai?  Indian  mission  school 


^  Manuscript  Letter  to  Johnson  from  Joseph  Dwight,  one  of  the  commit- 
tee of  the  mission  school. 

'Extract  from  the  same.  Hon.  Joseph  Dwight,  whose  letter  is  here 
referred  to,  was  a  liberally  educated  man.  He  had  been  speaker  of  the 
^ouse  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  ai^d  a  counselor,  and  led  a  regiment  in  the 
successful  attack  on  Cape  Breton.  He  married  the  widow  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Sergeant,  the  same  who  is  mentioned  in  the  text  as  the  founder  of  the  mis- 
sion school  at  Stockbridge, 


52 


^- 


l> , 


410 


LIFK  OF  BIK  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  west  of  Albany.  On  his  way  he  stopped  over  night  at 
w^— /  Mount  Johnson,  hoping  to  obtain  the  colonel's  countenance 
1782.  i,j  iijg  project.  This  was  cheerfully  granted,  and  the  mis- 
sionary sent  on  his  way  with  a  godspeed.  *  The  colonel 
was  also  at  this  time  in  correspondence  with  Doctor  Eleazer 
Wheelock,  who  had  recently  established  a  school  in  Lebu- 
non,  Connecticut,  similar  in  its  object  to  the  one  at  Stock- 
bridge,  and  which  afterwards  grew  into  Dartmouth  college. 
Several  years  later,  the  celebrated  Joseph  Brant,  sent  by 
the  colonel,  received  at  this  school  his  English  education. 
It  is  pleasant  to  dwell  upon  this  phase  of  Johnson's  char- 
acter, showing,  as  it  does,  that  his  mind  was  not  wholly 
engrossed — as  some  would  have  us  believe — in  amassing  a 
private  fortune.  „-     i,     ,.,vi. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  when  I  last  spoke  of  Sir  Peter 
"Warren,  he  had  been  obliged  to  retire  through  ill  health 
to  his  country  seat  in  "Westbury,  and  had  shortly  afterward 
been  elected  to  parliament  fro.-.i  the  city  of  Westminister. 
The  capture  of  the  French  fleet  of  East  Indiamen,  of  which 
an  account  has  been  given  in  a  former  chapter,  was  the 
last  service  he  lived  to  perform ;  for  peace  being  concluded 
in  the  following  year,  the  fleet  was  of  course  dismantled. 
But  even  in  his  retirement  honors  followed  him.  In  May, 
1748,  he  received  a  distinguished  mark  of  royal  favor  in 
being  appointed  vice  admiral  of  the  Red ;  and  in  the  early 

I  Rev.  Mr.  Havley  was  before  this  an  instructor  of  the  Iroquois  children 
at  the  Stookbridge  mission  under  Mr.  Edwards.  Mr.  Hawley  thus  sprtks 
of  his  visit  at  this  time  to  Colonel  Johnson  in  a  letter  to  Rot.  Dr.  Tnatcber, 
published  in  the  Mass.  His.  Col.  vol.  iv.  "  On  Friday  we  left  Albany.  Mr. 
Woodbridge  and  I  set  out  for  Mount  Johnson,  about  thirty-six  miles  off,  to 
pay  our  compliments  to  Colonel  Johnsor ,  and  obtain  his  countenance  in 
favor  of  our  mission.  *  *  *  At  sur  set  we  were  politely  received  at 
Colonel  Johnson's  gate  by  himself  in  pe  -son.  Here  we  lodged.  His  man- 
sion was  stately,  and  situate  a  little  c'lstance  fron^  the  river,  on  rising 
ground,  and  adjacent  to  a  stream  which  turned  hjs  mill.  This  gentleman 
was  well  known  in  his  civil,  military  and  privatp  p|iaracter.  He  was  the 
first  civil  character  in  the  county  of  Albany  at  th^t  dfty-  *  *  *  It  was 
favorable  to  our  mission  to  have  his  patronage,  tehich  I  never  lott." 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   J0UN80N,   BART. 


ill 


part  of  the  present  year,  the  citizens  of  London  presented  chaf. 
bim  with  the  freedom  of  the  city  and  the  Goldsmith's  w^ 
company.  They  also  wished  to  make  him  an  alderman  ^'^^^' 
for  Billingsgate  ward  in  the  place  of  the  lord  mayor, 
deceased.  This  latter  honor,  however.  Sir  Peter  cour- 
teously declined,  "  assigning  as  a  reason,  that  his  past  pro- 
fession must  prevent  him  in  a  great  measure,  from  dis- 
charging properly  the  duties  of  that  office."  The  citizens 
nevertheless  persisted  in  electing  him  for  their  alderman ; 
upon  which  Sir  Peter,  on  the  twenty-third  of  June,  wrote 
to  the  court  of  aldermen  declining  to  serve,  and  enclosing 
at  the  same  time  the  fine  of  five  hundred  pounds.  Shortly 
afterward,  Sir  Peter  hoping  that  the  air  of  his  native  hills 
would  improve  his  health,  went  to  Ireland.  The  hope  was 
fallacious,  for  scarcely  had  he  landed  when  a  severe  inflam- 
matory fever  carried  him  oft'  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  July. 
He  died  "  universally  lamented  by  all  persons,  who  agreed 
that  there  could  not  exist  a  better  and  honester  man,  or  a 
more  gallant  officer.  Few  men  ever  attained  to  a  greater 
share  of  popularity.  It  was  said  of  him  that  he  had  not 
only  the  singular  happiness  of  being  universally  courted, 
esteemed,  and  beloved,  but  had  the  additional  consolation 
of  having  passed  through  life  without  making  a  single 
enemy."'  ■  ■     '  •'  >  ;' . 

By  no  one  was  the  death  of  Admiral  "Warren  felt  with 
more  acuteness  than  the  Johnson  family.  Sir  Peter  had 
been  to  them  all  the  kindest  of  benefactors ;  and  was 
looked  up  to  with  feelings  of  gratitude  and  afi'ection.  This 
is  evident  from  the  following  letter,  written  to  Colonel 
Johnson  by  his  brother,  a  tew  days  after  his  uncle's  decease. 

"London,  Aug.  4th,  1752. 

"  My  Dear  Brother :  It's  with  the  utmost  sorrow  I  give 
you  the  most  dismal  account  of  the  death  of  our  most 
dear,  dear  uncle,  who  died  in  Dublin  last  "Wednesday  night, 
29th  July,  of  a  most  violent  fever,  which  carried  him  off 

*  Biographia  Navalis. — Charnock. 


412 


LIF£   OF  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


ff^ 


xu. 


1762. 


OHAF.  in  four  days.  I  was  up  day  and  night  with  him,  and  would 
to  God  I'd  have  died  in  his  stead.  Oh  my  dour  brother, 
BUC'i  grief  au  our  poor  family  are  iu,  is  inexpresaible,  for 
wo  have  lost  our  all  in  all.  And  you,  I  urn  sure,  will  bo 
as  much  shocked  as  mortal  living,  but  let  me  bog  of  you 
to  muster  up  all  of  your  resolution  to  bear  this  most  disniul 
account.  I  arrived  here  in  two  days  from  Dublin  with  tho 
melancholy  news  to  Lady  Warren,  whom  from  my  very 
heart  I  pity,  and  hope  God  will  preserve  her  life  for  her 
poor  family's  sake.  He  made  his  will  two  days  before  ho 
died,  and  how  he  has  settled  his  afiairs  no  one  as  yet 
knows,  nor  I  till  I  return  With  her  directions  to  have  it 
opened.  I  set  out  in  two  hours  and  expect  to  be  in  Dublin 
the  7th.  He  is  to  be  interred  at  Pock  Mark  in  a  private 
manner.  His  executors  are  Lady  Warren,  Captain  Tyrrell, 
and  the  Chief  Justice  De  Lancey,  and  be  assured  of  a  faith- 
ful account  of  everything  as  soon  as  his  will  is  opened. 

"  I  hope  in  God,  my  dear  brother  will  endeavor  to  bear 
this  shock  with  patience.  Our  loss  is  very,  very  great,  and 
what  to  do  now  with  myself  I  know  not.  I  shall  let  you  hear 
from  me  by  the  first  opportunity  after  my  arrival  in  Ireland. 
I  shall  write  this  miserable  account  to  my  cousin  Captain 
Tyrrell,  who  will  be,  I  am  sure,  greatly  shofl-rrd  I  have 
not  time  to  add  more.  My  love  to  brotl  .  Fcrrall,'  and 
believe  me,  my  dear  brother,  ever  youris 

Most  affectionately  and  taithfully, 

"  Warrbn  Johnson."' 


(( 


To  Colonel  Johnson  the  death  ot  his  uncle  must  indeed 
have  been  a  terrible  blow.  Although  I  have  not  been  able 
to  find  among  his  papers  the  answer  to  the  above  letter, 
yet  undoubtedly  it  was  full  of  corresponding  sympathy 
and  affection. 

As  by  Sir  Peter's  death,  the  council  lost  one  of  its  mem- 
bers, William  Smith,  at  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Clin- 

'  Ferrall  Wade,  Johnson's  brother-in-law.     He  was  killed  in  the  action  of 
tbe  8th  of  September,  1755,  at  Lake  Qeorge. 
'  ManiiBuript  letter. 


f 


LIFB  OF  SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   DART. 


418 


led  in  the  action  of 


ton,  was  appointed  by  the  crown  to  fill  the  vacant  seat.  This  chap. 
gentleman  was  at  this  time  a  flourishing  lawyer  in  the  city  s«,^_/ 
of  Now  York,  and  hud  first  gained  Mr.  Clinton's  good  will,  ^"^^• 
by  his  prosecution  of  Mr.  Oliver  Do  Lancoy — brother  of 
the  chief  justice — for  his  abuse  of  the  governor. '  On  the 
death  of  the  attorney  general  in  this  year,  Mr.  Clinton 
appointed  him  to  that  office,  which  he  filled  with  gi'cat 
credit  and  reputation,  until  the  arrival  from  England  of 
William  Kempe,  who  had  received  the  appointment  from 
the  crown,  unknown  to  the  governor.  ^  The  latter  did  not 
present  the  claims  of  Mr.  Smith,  without  opposition ; — 
Colonel  Morris,  formerly  a  member  of  the  council  under 
Governor  Montgomery,  sending  in  at  the  same  time  a 
memorial  praying  for  the  appointment.  The  influence, 
however,  of  Mr.  Clinton  at  court,  was  too  powerful  to  be 
overcome,  and  Mr.  Smith  took  his  seat  at  the  council 
board,  upon  the  thirtieth  of  April  of  the  following  spring. 
To  the  new  assembly,  which  met  in  October,  many  of 
its  former  members,  friends  of  the  chief  justice,  were 
returned.  Its  principal  feature  was  the  absence  of  the  long 
messages  both  from  the  executive  and  the  house,  which 
had  characterized  its  former  sessions.  Both  parties  seemed 
resolved  to  make  them  models  of  brevity.  Mr.  Clinton's 
opening  message  was  comprised  in  fifteen  lines  ;  and  the 
address  of  the  house  in  reply,  scarcely  exceeded  it  in  length. 
This  is  attributed  by  Mr.  Smith  to  the  fact  of  his  own 
advice  and  tliat  of  Mr.  Alexander  having  been  taken  by 
the  governor,  rather  than  that  of  Mr.  Colden,  "  whose 
incautious  and  luxuriant  compositions  had  so  frequently 
kindled  the  party  fires,"  which  had  increased  the  popularity 
1 1  .ue  chief  justice  "whom  he  was  most  anxious  to  pull 
down." '    Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  certain  that  during  the 

'Manuscript  letter.' 

'Governor  Clinton  to  the  Lords  of  Trade. 

'Smith.  Mr.  Clinton  had  recently  lost  the  support  of  Dr.  Colden,  by  his 
having  urged,  in  opposition  to  the  latter's  wishes,  Robert  Hunter  Morris 
for  lieutenant  governor.  Mr.  Alexander  was  chosen  by  Clinton  as  his  chief 
adviser  in  Dlaoe  of  Coldes, 


414 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  present  session,  there  was  none  of  that  bitterness  which 
Wv.w  had  characterized  former  sessions. 


1752, 


The  most  noticeable  action  of  the  present  assembly,  was 
its  voting  to  provide,  at  their  next  sitting,  for  the  repaiiing 
of  the  different  fortifications  along  the  frontier ;  for  the 
rebuilding  of  the  trading-post  at  Oswego,  now  in  a  ruinous 
condition  ;  and  for  the  founding  of  a  college  for  the  educa- 
tion of  the  youth  of  the  colony.  A  new  board  of  com- 
missioners was  also  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  Indian 
department,  which,  by  the  resignation  of  Colonel  Johnson, 
had  been  deprived  of  his  services.  It  would  appear,  how- 
ever, by  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Mr. 
Clinton  to  the  colonel,  under  date  of  November  fifth,  that 
the  former  commissioners  were  still  sore  from  their  pre- 
vious dismissal.  The  letter  itself  is  addressed  to  the 
colonel,  in  the  care  of  Captain  Ross,  New  York,  whither 
the  former  had  come  to  attend  the  council : 

"  I  find  the  assembly  are  determined  to  go  upon  com- 
missioners for  Indian  affairs  again,  and  as  I  cannot,  without 
inconvenience,  prevent  it,  I  send  for  your  perusal  a  list  of 
persons  proposed  for  my  approbation  for  that  commission. 
I  cannot  help  observing  that  they  are  picked  out  of  almost 
all  your  inveterate  opposers ;  therefore  phould  be  glad  of 
your  opinion,  for  I  can  but  think  it  justice,  that  I  should 
have  the  nomination  of  one-half,  at  least,  of  them.  I 
shall  be  at  the  fort  Tuesday  n(  xt,  when  I  shall  be  glad 
if  you  would  dine  with  me,  and  in  the  interim  think  what 
I  can  do  in  it."' 

The  result  was  a  compromise — the  governor  rtjocting 
six  or  one-half  of  the  names  sent  in  for  his  approval,  and 
the  house  putting  in  their  place,  the  members  of  the 
executive  council,  the  commanding  officer  at  Albany,  the 
representatives  of  the  general  assembly,  and  the  mayor 
and  recorder  of  Albany  cx-officio?     The  affair  of  Indian 

1  Manuscript  letter. 

'  Manuscript  oouncil  minutes.  The  list  for  commissioners  enclosed  ia 
Mr.  Clinton's  letter  to  the  colonel,  was  Myndert  Schuyler,  Philip  Schuyler, 
David  Schuyler,  Johannis  Jause  Lansingh,  Kcadrick  Bleeoker,  Hans  Hbh- 


;ternes8  which 


iressed,  to  the 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


415 


f 

comraissionerB  being  thus  settled,  Mr.  Clinton,  on  the  chap. 
eleventh  of  November,  passed  all  the  bills,  including  the  «_y— * 
one  for  providing  for  the  payment  of  the  salaries  of  gov-  ^'^2. 
ernment  oflScers  out  of  the  duties,   and  prorogued  the 
assembly  to  the  first  Tuesday  of  the  following  March. 

It  may  at  first  appear  singular  that  as  Mr.  Clinton  had 
dissolved  the  last  assembly  on  account  of  his  trouble  with 
the  opposition,  the  tone  of  this  new  one  should  be  so 
entirely  (Jifierent,  especially  since,  as  before  observed, 
nearly  all  of  the  opposition  had  been  returned.  The  solu- 
tion of  this  is  found  in  a  glance  at  the  political  complexion 
of  affairs,  as  they  now  stood.  Mr.  De  Lancey  began  to 
fear  that  he  had  gone  a  little  too  far.  He  knew  that  Mr. 
Clinton  held  in  his  hands  a  commission  for  him  as  lieuten- 
ant governor;  and  his  object  thus  far  had  been  to  render 
his  position  so  uncomfortable  that  he  would  be  obliged  to 
resign  and  thus  give  him  greater  scope  for  his  ambition.  ^ 
Mr.  Clinton's  success,  however,  at  court,  .as  shown  by  his 
securing  for  his  friends  seats  at  the  council  board,  caused 
alarm.  He  knew,  also,  from  his  friends  in  England,  that 
the  governor,  who  was  thinking  of  soon  leaving  the  prov- 
ince on  account  of  ill  health,  had  written  several  letters  to 
the  board  of  trade,  requesting  permission,  without  pro- 
ducing DeLancey's  commission,  to  leave  Colden,  by  virtue 
of  being  president  of  the  council,  in  command  of  the 
colony.*  The  very  idea  of  his  most  inveterate  enemy, 
being  thus  placed  in  power,  drove  the  chief  justice  well 
nigh  distracted.  Mr.  Charles,  moreover,  had  written  to 
the  speaker  of  the  assembly,  that  measures  were  on  foot 
to  have  the  commission  appointing  De  Lancey  lieutenant 
governor  revoked,  and  to  have  Robert  Hunter  Morris 

son,  Jacob  H.  Ten  Eyck,  Johannis  Cuyler,  Sybrant  G.  Van  Schaick,  Johan- 
niB  Glen,  Qerardua  Qroesbeok,  and  Johannis  Van  Rensselaer.  The  com- 
tnis8ion8|?8  retained  and  substituted,  were  Myndert  Schuyler,  Cornelius 
Cuyler,  Hpndriok  Bleeoker,  John  Beekman,  Johannis  Lansingb,  jr..  and 
J&oob  C.  Ten  Eyck. 

'Review  of  military  operations  in  America. 

'Clinton  to  the  board  of  trade. 


I 


-•—'OMti^- 


■-^■ig;.,. 


416 


LIFE  OP  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


c^AP* appointed  in  his  stead.*    The  chief  justice,  therefore, 
wv — '  fearing  the  loss  of  the  commission — than  which  nothing 
1762.  ^j^g  farther  from  bis  thoughts — saw  that  he  must  play  his 
cards  difterently  if  he  would  win.    In  addition  to  all  this, 
the  disputes  between  the  provinces  of  New  York  and  New 
Jersey  in  relation  to  the  boundary  line,  were  still  unsettled ; 
and  it  was  evident  that  so  long  as  the  disputes  between 
the  assembly  and  the  governor  continued,  they  would  be 
as  far  off  from  an  adjustment  as  ever.    Those  families  of 
the  province  who  held  large  estates,  had  grown  weary  of 
these  continual  wranglings ;  and  now  gave  the  chief  justice 
pretty  plainly  to  understand,  that  if  he  would  retain  his 
popularity,  he    must    cease    his    opposition.    This  was 
touching  Mr.  De  Lancey  in  a  vital  spot ;  for  he  could  not, 
for  the  present  at    least,   afford  to  lose  anything  that 
might  tend  to  further  his  ambition.    He  therefore  became 
more  cautious  and  k"-       ;  n  in  his  opposition;  and  the 
remainder  of  Mr.  Cli  •  administration  was  passed  in 

comparative  freedom  from  those  storms  of  faction,  which 
had  raged  so  fiercely  between  himself  and  the  assembly.' 

Serious  difficulty  was  experienced  this  year  in  the  collec- 
tion of  the  Oswego  duties.  Considerable  complaint  had 
arisen  of  late  in  regard  to  the  irregular  manner  in  which  the 
duties  were  collected ;  and  hints  of  a  dishonorable  nature 
had  been  freely  expressed  against  those  who  had  them  in 
charge.  Now,  however,  direct  charges  of  peculation  were 
brought  against  John  De  Peyster  and  Peter  Schuyler  Jun,, 
two  of  the  commissioners;  who,  to  say  the  least,  had  been 
guilty  of  great  ill  management  and  criminal  neglect.  The 
dissatisfaction  at  length  grew  so  serious,  as  to  lead  Mr. 
Clinton  to  take  the  matter  in  hand  ;  and  he  accordingly 
wrote  to  Colonel  Johnson,  requesting  him  to  ferret  out 
the  true  facts.  The  following  extract  from  the  colonel's 
reply,  seems  to  show  that  the  charges  were  not  ill  founded. 

1  Morris  was  appointed  governor  of  Pennsylvania  in  1754. 
» Smith. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


417 


"As  to  that  affair  of  the  Oswego  duties,"  he  writes, char 
"  although  a  cursed  piece  of  villainy,  yet  it  is  very  diffi-  ^v-^ 
cult  to  find  out.    De  Peyster  has  owned  to  me  that  he  has  ^'*''' 
not  entered  into  recognizance  these  several  years.    The 
mayor  tells  me,  also,  that  when  he  sent  for  Peter  Schuyler 
to  qualify,  he  then  sent  for  De  Peyster  likewise,  and  he 
refused  it,  notwithstanding  he  has  acted  all  the  time.    On 
talking  to  him  some  time  ago  about  the  yearly  amount  of 
duties,  he  acknowledged  that  they  amounted  to  upwards  of 
£1000,  the  year  1749,  so  that  the  other  three  years,  which 
he  mentions  in  his  accounts  delivered  to  the  assembly,  the 
duties  are  but  about  ^£145,  as  you'll  see  in  the  last  notes,  p. 
32 — a  most  damnable  imposition  on  the  public,  yet  I  can- 
not sift  it  out,  without  he  is  to  prod^ce  his  books."* 

Doubts  as  to  the  duties  having  been  honestly  collected, 
had  arisen  in  the  assembly  the  previous  year,  and  they  had 
at  their  sitting  in  the  fall    ordered  "that  the  commis- 
sioners, for  collecting  the  duties    on    goods  carried    to 
Oswego,  do,  with  all  convenient  speed,  lay    before  the 
house,  a  particular  account  on  oath,    of  what  the  said 
duties  have  amounted  to,  from  the  delivery  of  the  accounts, 
to  the  first  of  September  last.""    In  accordance  with  this 
order  John  De  Peyster  sent  in  his  accounts  on  oath,  by 
which  it  appeared,  that  the  duties,  from  June  1746  to  Sep- 
tember 1750,  amounted  to  £1145,  17s.   Sd.    Thus,  from 
the  acknowledgment  made  to  the  mayor,  it  would  appear, 
as  Johnson  observes,  that  only  a  trifle  over  /A45  was  left  for 
the  years  '47,  '48  and  '50— a  fact  which  fuL^  justified  the 
suspicion  of  unfair  dealing,    No  farther  action  however, 
was  taken  ;  for  although  scarcely  any  one  doubted  their 
dishonesty,  yet  owing  to  the  want  of  positive  proof,  it  was 
difficult  to  fix  the  charges  upon  the  parties  to  this  trans- 
action, and  they  therefore   escaped.    They  were  never- 
theless more  cautious  in  future,  and  De  Peyster  in  his 
next  accounts  for  the  year  1751,  showed  the  amount  of 

•Manuscript  letter. 

'Journals  of  the  general  assembly, 

53 


418 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


r- 


CHAP,  duties  recei ;  i  to  be   »  ruetuir^g  over    je940 !    Johnson 
»-v-' interfered  grievously  wi.,h  their  knavish  plans,  and  hence, 
17*2.  ^g  bitter  malignity  -^ith  which  he  was  pursued  by  a  few 
individuals,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Clouds  still  hung  along  the  border  of  the  northern 
frontier.  In  the  summer  of  "ihis  yenr,  a  scalping  party  of 
St.  Francis  Indians  surprised  four  young  men,  who  were 
trapping  beaver  along  the  head  waters  of  the  Connecticut 
river.  One  of  these  was  John  Stark,  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  a  bold  and  fearless  hunter.  When  he 
found  himself  surprised,  he  shouted  to  his  brother,  who 
was  in  a  canoe,  to  gain  the  opposite  shore.  This  he  did 
and  escaped,  though  not  before  a  young  man  with  him  in 
the  boat  had  been  shot  at  and  killed.  Stark,  with  his 
companion  Eastman,  was  carried  up  the  Connecticut  river, 
and  down  Memphremagog  to  the  chief  village  of  the 
tribe.  While  there,  he  conducted  himself  with  so  much 
courage  and  good  humor,  as  to  win  the  aflection  of  his 
captors,  who  dressed  him  in  their  finest  robes,  and 
cherished  him  with  so  much  kindness,  as  to  allow  him, 
upon  receiving  a  ransom,  to  return  to  his  friends.  The 
lessons  of  woodcraft  which  Stark  learned  in  thie  early  cap- 
tivity, qualified  him  to  render  efficient  service  in  the  next 
war,  from  which  by  his  courage  and  energy  he  rose  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier  general  in  the  armies  of  the  United 
States.^ 

The  general  assembly  met  in  March,  but  was  by 
successive  prorogations,  prevented  from  sitting  until 
May.  In  his  opening  message  on  the  thirtieth,  Mr.  Clin- 
ton expressed  his  satisfaction  at  the  resolves  passed  during 
the  last  session, — to  take  at  this  meeting,  the  state  of  the 
frontier  fortifications,  and  the  Indian  affairs  into  consider- 
ation ;  having,  as  he  said,  the  fullest  confidence  in  their 
honor  and  justice.  Nor  did  he  fail  to  speak  in  the  warm- 
est terms  of  their  determination  to  advance  the  cause  of 


1  'n.ii.KM-. 


I 


lilFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BABT. 


419 


learning,  by  the  founding  of  a  college ;  and  he  hoped  that  cra*. 
the  plan  would  receive  their  warmest  encouragement,  and<».v-' 
be  speedily  carried  into  eft'ect.    He,  also,  informed  them  ^'^'^* 
of  the  encroachments  which  had    been  uade  upon  the 
province  by  the  colonies  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massa- 
chusetts Bay ;  advising,  that  committees  from  both  houses 
should  be  appointed  to  concert  the  proper  measures  to  be 
taken  in  this  affair,  in  which,  he  assured  them  of  his 
hearty  assistance.    He  then  alluded  to  the  colony  debts, 
among  which  was  the  long  standing   claim  of   Colonel 
Johnson ;  and  closed  with  a  promise  to  do  everything  in 
his  power  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  colony.^ 

The  assembly  in  its  reply,  two  days  afterward,  thanked 
the  governor  in  the  warmest  terms  for  his  kind  offer  of 
assistance,  promising  to  do  everything  in  its  power  for  the 
interest  of  the.  colony.  Both  the  executive  and  the  house 
seemed  to  be  animated  by  the  same  spirit  of  harmony, 
which,  indeed,  continued  throUg,hout  the  entire  session. 
Kor  did  the  assembly  confine  itself  to  words.  A  commit- 
tee, of  the  legislative  council  and  the  house,  met  on  the 
New  England  encroachments,  and  passed  a  bill  authorizing 
a  committee  to  prepare  a  representation  upon  this  grievance 
for  the  king's  ministers.*  A  bill  was  also  passed  for 
raising  a  sum  by  lottery  for  the  college ;  the  colony  debt, 
incurred  during  the  late  war,  discharged ,  T»ioney  voted  for 
the  fortifications ;  and  the  sum  of  eight  hundred  pounds 
appropriated  for  Indian  presents. ' 

While  the  general  assembly  was  sittiug,  a  letter  to 
Colonel  Johnson  from  Captain  Stoddard,  and  one  also 
from  Lieutenant  Holland  to  Mr.  Clinton,  both  dated  at 
Oswego,  informed  the  executive  council  that  the  French 
ware  again  active  and  threatened  serious  trouble.  On  the 
fourteenth  of  May,  thirty  French  canoes,  with  five  hundred 

'Journals  of  the  assembly. 

'The  committee  were  all  members  of  the  house,  and  consisted  of  David 
Jones,  John  Thomas,  Paul  Richards,  William  Walton,  Henry  Cruger,  aad 
John  Watts. 

"Smith. 


l» 


i: 

420 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP.  Indians  under  the  command  of  Monsieur  Marin,  passed 


xu. 


that  post  on  their  way  to  the  Ohio  River.  By  a  Frenchman, 
^^^^-  lately  arrived  at  Oswego,  it  appeared  that  this  v/as  only 
the  advance  guard  of  an  army  of  six  thousand  men,  which 
the  French  had  been  concentrating,  preparatory  to  their 
taking  possession  of  the  Ohio  Valley.  Theii"  object  was 
to  support — by  building  forts  along  the  Ohio,  and  if  neces- 
sary, by  force  of  arms — their  claim  to  the  lands  bordering 
upon  that  river;  and  to  eject  those  English  trackers  who 
had  already  settled  along  its  banks. 

Intimation  of  this  movement  was  received  by  Johnson 
early  in  April.  A  party  of  the  Six  l^ations  hunting  in  the 
early  part  of  that  month  near  the  rapids  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, had  descried  a  large  company  of  French  and  Indians, 
on  their  way  to  Ontario.  Two  of  their  swiftest,  of  foot 
were  immediately  dispatched  with  the  intelligence  to  their 
council  fire  at  Onondaga.  Thence  the  news  was  borne  to 
the  colonel,  who  was  awakened  at  midnight,  on  the  nine- 
teenth of  April,  by  terrific  whoops  ondyells,  and  presented 
with  a  belt  of  wampum  which  was  to  urge  the  English  to 
protect  the  Ohio  and  the  Miami  Indians.  ^ 

The  Six  Nations,  especially  the  Mohawks,  straightway 
took  alarm,  considering  the  Ohio  as  their  property,  and 
any  attempt  therefore  to  erect  forts  upon  that  river,  as  a 
direct  infringement  on  their  vights.  This  conduct  of  the 
French  was  not  calculated  to  assauge  the  temper  of  the 
Mohawks,  already  in  an  alarming  state,  caused  by  their 
having  been  overreached,  as  they  alleged,  in  some  sales 
of  land  to  the  whites.  Added  to  this,  while  they  wit- 
nessed the  active  movements  of  the  French,  they  saw  no 
corresponding  activity  on  the  part  of  the  government  of 
New  York,  either  for  resisting  these  encroachments,  or 
for  protecting  them  in  their  castles.  In  truth,  there  was 
cause  for  this  feeling.  The  strange  apathy  of  the  parent 
government  in  thwarting  the  designs  of  the  French,  and 
the  criminal  neglect  of  the  assembly  to  protect  the  fron- 


'-  Colonsl  Johnson  to  Governor  Clinton,  30th  April  1753. 


/  . 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


421 


1768. 


tiers,  gave  truth  to  the  remark  of  King  Ilendrik,  that  ''^^• 
"  the  council  and  as  embly  dont  take  care  of  Albany,  but' 
leave  it  naked  r.nd  defenceless,  and  dont  care  what  becomes 
of  our  nation,  but  sit  in  peace  and  quietness,  while  we 
are  exposed  to  the  enemy."  The  Indian  commissioners 
at  Albany  never  had  had  either  the  confidence  or  the 
affection  of  the  Six  ITations,  and  since  the  resignation  of 
Colonel  Johnson,  they  had  been  sadly  neglected.  The 
Mohaws  at  length  became  so  u'-easy,  that,  after  appealing 
in  vain  to  the  commissioners  at  Albany,  they  determined  to 
apply  at  head  quarters  for  the  redress  of  their  grievances  ; 
and  accordingly  Hendrik,  accompanied  by  several  of  the 
Mohawk  chieftains,  visited  Governor  Clinton  at  New  York 
during  the  session  of  the  assembly. 

The  reproaches  of  the  great  Mohawk  chieftain  against 
the  council  and  assembly,  for  their  indifference  and  cruel 
neglect  of  his  nation,  were  affecting,  yet  bitterly  severe. 
The  grievances,  to  which  they  had  been  subjected  in  being 
imposed  upon  in  the  sales  of  their  lands,  were  especially 
dwelt  upon.  Reminding  them  of  the  aid  which  they  had 
received  from  him  in  times  past,  he  accused  them  of 
having  embroiled  his  nation  with  the  French,  and  then 
refusing  to  protect  their  castles  from  the  revenge  of  their 
enemy ;  the  hatchet,  also,  which  had  been  placed  in  their 
hands  by  the  government,  was  still  there,  never  having 
been  taken  back.^  Hitherto,  he  continued,  you  have  de- 
sired that  the  paths  should  be  kept  open  by  us,  but  now, 
you  make  no  effort  to  keep  the  French  from  closing  them, 
but  throw  the  whole  burden  upon  us.  If,  therefore,  you 
do  not  endeavor  to  redress  our  grievanced,  the  rest  of  our 
brethren  of  the  Six  Nations  shall  know  of  it,  and  all  paths 
shall  be  stopped.  Dreading,  aleo,  the  formalities  of  diplo- 
matic etiquette,  which  always  was  a  terror  to  the  Indians, 

'It  was  always  customary,  at  the  close  of  hostilities,  to  make  their  Indian 
allies  presents,  when  the  hatchet  was  formally  buried.  Hendrick  alludes 
held  to  this  ceremony  having  been  neglected. 


I 


v)Wf'^ 


,t     »  ■'.■ 


422 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


OHLAP.  and  recollecting  the  long  delay  in  the  exchange  of  pri- 
v_v— soners,  Hendrik,  now  grown  desperate,  could  not  brook 
1763.  njjy  delay.  He  therefore  closed  his  speech  with  this 
caustic  remark:  "We  beg  you  will  not  b  long  considering 
it.  Ycu  may,  perhaps,  tell  us,  you  will  write  to  our  Father 
the  King,  but  that  will  be  too  long,  "We  therefore  desire 
you  will  do  something  immediately,  or  tell  ub  at  once,  you 
will  do  nothing  at  all  for  us." 

Before  Mr.  Clinton  replied  to  Hendrik,  the  committee, 
to  whom  had  been  entrusted  the  business  of  invegftigating 
the  complaints  of  the  Mohawks  regarding  their  land  sales, 
reported,  through  Mr.  Holland,  that  all  the  lands,  in  the 
purchase  f  which  the  Indians  alleged  they  had  been  de- 
frauded, had  been  patented  many  years  before  his  excel- 
lency had  taken  the  reins  of  government ;  and  that  it  was 
therefore  impossible,  by  examining  the  grants  registered 
in  New  York,  to  determine  whether  the  persons  who  had 
purchased  of  the  Indians  had  imposed  upon  them  or  not. 
This,  Mr.  Clinton  explained  to  Hendrik  in  his  answer- 
ing speech,  but  stated,  that  a  conference  would  be  held 
with  them  at  Albany  during  the  summer ;  and  as  regarded 
the  alleged  land  frauds^  he  would  put  their  complaints 
into  the  hands  of  the  Indian  commissioners,  who  would  see 
that  justice  was  done  them.  The  angry  feelings,  however, 
of  Hendrik  and  his  brother  chiefs,  were  too  deeply  rooted, 
to  be  thus  easily  eradicated  by  the  promise  of  a  conference. 
Having  but  a  poor  idea  of  the  justice  to  be  obtained  at 
Albany,  they  immediately  retired  in  disgust,  but  not  be- 
fore Hendrik  had  delivered  the  following  philippic  : 

"  Brother:  When  we  came  here  to  relate  our  grievances 
about  our  lands,  we  expected  to  have  something  done  for 
us,  and  we  have  told  vou  that  the  covenant  chain  of  our 
forefathers  was  like  to  be  broken,  and  you  tell  us,  that  we 
shall  be  redressed  at  Albany ;  but  we  know  them  so  well, 
that  we  will  not  trust  to  them,  for  they  are  no  people,  but 
devils,  so  we  rather  desire  that  you  will  say  nothing  shall 
be  done  for  us.    By  and  by,  you  will  expect  to  see  the 


LIPB   OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


428 


nations  down,  which  you  shall  not  see,  for  as  soon  as  we  chap. 

.  XII. 

come  home,  we  will  send  up  a  belt  of  wampum  to  our^^— ' 
brethren  the  Five  Nations,  to  acquaint  them  the  covenant  ^^^*' 
chain  is  broken  between  you  and  us.     So  you  are  not  to 
expect  to  hear  of  me  any  more,  and  we  desire  to  hear  no 
more  of  you.    And  we  shall  no  longer  acquaint  you  with 
any  news  or  a£fairs  as  we  used  to  do." 

The  alleged  grievances  respecting  the  land  frauds  might 
be  redressed  ;  but  these  threats,  in  the  present  critical 
state  of  the  country,  and  the  ruinous  condition  of  the  for- 
tiScations,  might  not  so  easily  be  ignored  or  despised. 
Accordingly,  Mr.  Clinton  sent  down  a  message  to  the  as- 
semblj,  on  the  ninth  of  June,  informing  that  body  of  the 
conference  which  he  had  just  held  with  the  Mohawk  chief; 
urging  that  immediate  measures  should  be  taken  to 
calm  the  temper  of  the  Indians,  and  to  secure  their  alli- 
ance. This  intelligence  at  once  aroused  the  assembly 
from  its  shameful  apathy,  and  showed  them  the  necessHy 
of  immediately  providing  for  the  .nterests  and  safety  of 
the  colony.  It  forthwith  voted  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
pounds,  in  addition  to  the  eight  hundred  before  voted,  to 
be  given  to  the  Indians  to  assist  in  burying  the  hatchet ; 
and,  on  the  sixteenth,  it  resolved,  that  an  humble  ad- 
dress should  be  presented  to  his  excellency,  praying  that 
he  would  be  pleased,  "  in  this  extraordinary  conjunction  of 
Indian  affkirs,  to  meet  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians  at  Albany 
this  summer  in  person,  to  renew  the  ancient  alliance  with 
them,  and  to  bury  the  hatchet." 

A  few  days  afterward.  Mi'.  Clinton  sent  down  to  the 
house  copies  of  Hendrik's  tipeech,  with  the  suggestion, 
that  it  would  be  expedient  to  send  forthwith  some  man  of 
influence  to  the  several  castles  of  the  confederacy,  who 
should  lay  before  it  the  injustice  done  to  the  Mohawk  chiefs, 
and  prevent  the  mischievous  consequences  which  would 
arise,  should  the  threats  of  Hendrik  be  carried  into  effect. 
In  answer  to  this  message,  and  in  accordance  with  its  re- 
solve of  the  sixteenth,  the  house,  on  the  twentieth,  prepared 


«l 


:0m*'^ 


424 


LIFB  OF  8IR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


f'i 


m 


1768. 


CHAP,  and  sent  in  to  the  governor  an  elaborate  address,  in  which 
v...^_,it  confessed  that  the  Indian  uft'airs  were  in  snch  a  critical 
state,  that,  "in  their  opinion,  no  commissioner  that  could 
be  appointed  would  have  so  much  weight  among  the  Six 
Nations  an  himself."  It  hoped,  therefore,  that  ho  would  not 
hesitate  a  moment  in  detei'mining  to  meet  the  Six  Nations 
at  Albany  during  the  summer ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  ad- 
vised, that  in  accordance  with  his  suggestion,  two  i)er8on8 
of  weight  among  the  Indians  should  be  dispatched  with 
all  possible  haste  to  the  several  Indian  castles,  to  induce 
them  to  meet  him  at  Albany,  there  to  adjust  all  their  diffi- 
culties  and  complaints. 

The  health  of  Mr,  Clinton  rendering  it  doubtful  wl  e- 
ther  he  should  be  able  to  meet  the  Indians  during  tie 
summer,  he  proposed  to  authorize  such  persons  to  attend 
in  his  place,  as  both  branches  of  his  legislature  shoulc' 
agree  in  appointing.  This  suggestion  was  immediately 
acted  upon  by  the  assembly ;  and  the  man  that  was  selected 
to  be  the  sole  distributor  of  the  presents,  and  the  confidant 
of  both  houses,  was  Colonel  Johnson !'  Perhaps  no  better 
proof  can  b"  adduced  of  the  confessed  ascendancy  of  the 
latter  over  the  Indians,  and  of  his  known  ability,  than  the 
joint  address  signed  by  James  De  Lancey  and  David  Jones, 
to  Mr.  Clijiton,  requesting  a  treaty  for  "  appeasing  the  ill 
temper  of  the  Indians,"  and  praying  that  Colonel  Johnson 
might  be  sent  to  Onondaga  to  meet  the  Confederacy.^  It 
is  very  certain,  that  with  the  known  enmity  with  which  at 
this  time  he  was  regarded  by  the  chief  justice,  and  with  all 
the  obstacles  which  had  been  continually  thrown  in  the  way 
of  his  collecting  his  accounts,  if  any  other  person  had  been 
capable,  Johnson  would  have  been  the  last  one  selected. 
But  at  this  critical  juncture,  private  enmity  was  forced  to 
yield  to  the  public  good ;  and  both  branches  of  the  legis- 
lature united  in  declaring,  "  that,  in  their  opinion.  Colonel 
Johnson  was  the  most  proper  person  to  be  appointed  to  do 

>  ManuHcripl  couucil  minutes. 

'Do  Lanoeyand  DavidJones  were  at  this  time  tbe  speakers,  respectively, 
of  tho  council  and  the  assembly. 


LITB  OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSOX,    BART. 


425 


jakers,  respectively, 


thifl  service  ;  and  thoy  humbly  lioped  Iuh  excellency  would  chap. 
commiHsionato  him.  -«-v-- 

Agreea])ly  to  this  request,  Colonel  JohnBon  at  once  set^*^**- 
out  on  his  mission.  His  journey  was  somewhat  Imstened 
by  intelligence,  received  prior  to  his  departure,  that  a 
party  of  the  Six  Nations,  in  violation  of  their  treaty,  had 
recently  returned,  from  the  country  of  the  Catawbas, 
bringing  with  them  scalps  and  prisoners;  and  as  serious 
trouble  was  likely  to  result  from  this,  unless  such  conduct 
was  speedily  stopped,  no  time  was  to  be  loftt.  On  his  arri- 
val at  Mount  Johnson,  both  of  the  Mohawk  castles  were 
Bummoned  to  meet  him  at  his  house  the  twenty-sixth  of 
July.  The  Indians  came  with  alacrity,  delighted,  as  they 
expresGPd  it,  that  he  was  again  "  raised  up,"  and  wasonce 
more  to  oe  the  organ  of  communication  between  their 
people  and  the  English.  Weary  of  the  frauds  practised 
upon  them,  since  ho  had  resigned  the  charge  of  their 
affairs,  the  Indians  came  to  him  as  to  a  father  anxious  to 
unbosom  all  their  griefs ;  for,  in  the  language  of  Ilendrik 
on  this  occasion,  "  where  should  they  resort  to  when  any- 
thing laid  heavy  on  their  hearts,  but  where  they  had 
always  found  satisfaction,  whatever  might  trouble  them." 
Contrary  to  the  usage  of  the  Indians,  when  called  to  a 
council,  Hendrik  opened  the  conference  by  speaking  first. 
If  anyone,  other  than  Johnson,  he  said,  had  sent  for  them, 
they  would  not  have  "  moved  a  foot ;"  but  now  they 
would  cheerfully  listen  to  what  he  had      say. 

The  answer  of  Johnson  was  kind,  yet  full  of  stern 
reproof  for  their  past  behavior.  The  unreasonableness  of 
their  demands  and  threats  which  they  had  so  freely 
expressed  in  New  York,  was  dwelt  upon  at  length.  The 
governor,  he  said,  was  grieved  to  think  that  they  whom 
he  had  always  supposed  were  such  sincere  friends,  should 
with  such  loud  and  foul  words,  soil  that  chain,  which  had 
been  made  by  their  wise  forefathers,  and  which  had 
remained  until  now  bright  and  unsullied ;  the  expectation 
of    Governor    Clinton,  of   soon    leaving  the  province, 


04 


■1^> 


426 


LIFE   OF  SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,    BART. 


\J 


OHAir.  togothor  with  his  ill  health,  proventod  him  from  meeting 
w^,— 'thorn  at  this  time,  hut  his  Huccowsor  would  have  time  to 
17M.  jjggp  their  complainta  and  to  quiet  their  minds ;  hence,  ho 
was  empowered  to  go  to  Onondaga,  and  treat  with  the  Six 
NationH  in  the  governor's  name,  and  ho  now  invited  thtui 
all  to  join  with  him  in  such  steps  vm  would  insuro  a  hurniu- 
nious  meeting.  The  Indians,  in  their  reply  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  said  thoy  had  heard  his  remarks  with 
"willing  ears,"  which  would  never  bo  eftaced  from  the 
minds  of  the  youngest  person  present,  Altnough  sensibly 
affected  by  the  neglect  with  which  they  had  been  treated, 
yet  they  would  once  more,  on  his  solicitation,  bury  their 
animosities  in  a  pool  so  deep  as  never  to  be  thongiit  of 
again."  Thus,  through  the  singular  ascendancy  of  Johu- 
Bon,  the  Mohawks,  lately  so  tierce  and  implacable,  once 
more  became  docile  and  good  humored.  ; 

In  September,  the  colonel  set  out  for  the  great  council 
fire  of  the  Six  Nations,  which  was  ever  kept  burning,  and 
arrived  there  on  the  eighth  of  the  same  month.  About  a 
mile  from  the  town  he  was  met  by  the  sachems,  and 
escorted,  with  all  the  forms  of  Indian  ceremonial,  to  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  where  he  encamped.  The  chiefs  hav- 
ing signified  their  readiness  to  receive  him  that  same  day 
lie  went  directly  to  the  council.  As  soon  as  he  was  seated, 
Red  Head,  the  chief  sachem  of  the  Onondagas,  rose  and 
presented  him  with  a  belt  of  wampum,  requesting  Lira  to 
"wipe  away  his  tears,  and  speak  freely."' 

*  "  The  original  wampum  of  the  Iroquois,  in  which  the  laws  of  the  league 
were  recorded,  was  made  of  spiral  fresh-water  shells,  ott-k6-d,  which  were 
strung  on  deer  skin  strings,  or  sinew,  and  the  strands  braided  into  belts, 
or  simply  united  into  strings.  Hubbard  thus  speaks  uf  wampum  m  gene- 
ral: "It  is  of  two  sorts,  white  and  purj)le.  The  white  is  worked  out  of  the 
inside  of  the  great  conch  into  the  form  of  a  bead,  and  perforated  to 
string  on  leather.  The  purple  is  worked  out  of  the  inside  of  the  mnsole 
shell.  They  are  woven  broad  as  one's  hand,  uid  about  two  feet  long. 
These  they  call  belts,  and  give  and  receive  at  their  treaties  as  the  seals  of 
their  friendship."  It  was  first  known  in  New  England  as  waiupumpesg, 
and  the  art  of  making  it  was  obtained  from  the  Dutch,  i^oording  to  Hutch- 
inson, about  1627." — Morgan's  League  ofthe  Iroquois. 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNBON,   BART. 


427 


From  luecting 
have  time  to 
ds ;  hence,  ho 
twith  the  Six 
J  invited  them 
iHuro  a  harnio- 
ily  on  the  I'ol- 
roinarke    witli 
aced  from  thf 
nough  sensibly 
i  been  treated, 
tiou,  bury  their 
be  thought  of 
dancy  of  Johu- 
tnplacable,  ouce 

e  great  couucil 
}pt  burning,  and 
lonth.    About  a 
s  sachems,    and 
•emonial,  to  tlio 
The  chiefs  hav- 
m  that  same  day 
as  he  was  seated, 
idagas,  rose  and 
questing  him  to 

the  laws  of  the  league 

,  o<«-M-(i,  which  were 

ds  braided  into  belts, 

of  wampum  in  gene- 
ie  is  worked  out  of  the 

ad,  and  perforated  to 
inside  of  the  muscle 
about  two  feet  long, 
.-eatiea  as  the  seals  ol 
.and  as  wampumpeBg, 
,,  according  to  Hutch- 


Having  by  the  distribution  of  a  few  prosonts  disposed  cha» 
the  Indians  to  a  favorable  liearinic,  the  colonel  announced  wy.w 
the  e)q)octed  arrival  of  a  now  governor,  who  would   meet  ^^^*- 
them  in  a  short  time  with  presents,  and  hear  all  of  their 
grievances.     Until  then,  lie  charged  them  to  live  in  har- 
mony with  their  English  brethren.     In  reference  to  the 
incursions  upon  the  Southern  Indians,  ho  was  exceedingly 
grieved  to  loam  that  some   of  their  people  had  returned 
with  scalps  and  prisoners  from  the  Catawbfts,  with  whom, 
in  his  presence,  they  had  made  such  a  solemn  treaty ;  and 
that  unless  this  affair  was  speedily  settled,  it  would  remain 
an  indellible  stain  upon  the  character  and  faith  of  their 
nation.    Ho  therefore  urged  them  to  immediately  return 
the  prisoners,  and    commit    no    farther  hostilities.    In 
regard  to  •  le  Fren  \ — "  are  you  willing,"  said  he,  "that 
they  should  dispo<-  oss  you  of  the  rich  lands  and  fair  fields 
along  the  Ohio,   your  ancestral   inheritance !     No,  rather 
quench  tVi  *ire  already  lighted  by  them,  at  Swegachey,' 
and  call    in  your  warriors  that  have  wandered  oft",  that 
united,  you  may  crush  them  !     The  paths,  likewise,  to  this 
place,  are  almost  choked  with  weeds,  and  the  fire  that  once 
burned  so  brightly,  nearly  extinguished."    He  was  there- 
fore  charged  by  the  governor,  to   rekindle  the  fire  with 
Huch  wood,  as   should  never  go  out.     "I  now,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  renew  the  fire,  sweep  and  clean  all  your  rooms 
with  a  new  white  wing,  and  leave  it  hanging  near  the  fire 
place,  that  you  may  use  it  for  cleaning  all  the  dust  and 
dirt,  which  may  have  been  brought  in  by  strangers,  no 
friends  to  you  or  us."     By  such  appeals,  was  there  a  direct 
road  opened  to  the  hearts  of  these  metaphor-loving  people. 
Two  days  afterwards.  Red  Head  thanked  him  for  giving 
tho  Six  Nations  notice  of  the  expected  arrival  of  the  new 
governor;    adding  that  whenever  he   chose   to  convene 
them  they  would  cheerfully   attend.     In  the   meantime, 
brother  "Warohiyatighey  might  rest  assured  that  the  ancient 
friendship  for  the  English  was  undiminished.     It  was  not 

'  La  Presentation,  now  Ogdcnsburgh. 


r 


«• 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


I*.  •  i 


|i^?- 


cHAi».with  their  oonsent,  ho  continued,  that  the  French  had 
s«yw  occupied  the  Ohio,  but  really  they  did  not  know  what  the 
1768.  English  and  French  together  intended ;  "  for  they  were 
already  so  hemmed  in  by  both,  that  hai-dly  a  hunting  place 
was  left ;  so  that  even  if  they  should  find  a  bear  in  a  tree, 
there  would  immediately  appear  an  owner  of  the  land,  to 
challenge  the  property."  Regarding  the  Catawbas,  their 
answer  was  less  satisfactory.  They  deplored,  it  is  true,  the 
violation  of  the  treaty,  but  declined  giving  a  definite 
answer  upon  this  point,  until  the  meeting  with  the  new 
governor.  M'' !i  .if   tj'     -^  •    •  .■!,  :  ..,       .;<;.;,;'' 

This  conference,  considering  the  previously  excited  state 
of  the  Indians,  was  considered  by  the  colonel  as  quite 
successful ;  a  full  account  of  which  was  enclosed  by  him 
in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Clinton  upon  his  return  home  on  be 
twenty-fourth.^ 

■ .'  'fit':?.'!        ,  t  :  !         ;  ■ !  '  ' ;  '  i  f  i 

Mr.  Clinton  was  at  his  country  seat  at  Flushing,  Long 
island,  when  his  successor,  Sir  Danvers  Osborne,  arrived.  ^ 
This  was  on  Stinday,  the  seventh  of  October.  The  coun- 
cil, mayor)  corporation,  and  the  chief  citizens,  met  the  new 
governor  on  his  arrival,  and  escorted  him  to  the  council 
chamber.  The  following  day,  Mr.  Clinton  called  upon 
him,  and  they  both  dined  with  the  members  of  the  council. 
On  Wednesday  morning,  Mr.  Clinton  administered  to  him 

1  For  this  letter,  as  well  as  for  a  f\ill  and  detailed  account  of  this  meet- 
ing at  Onondaga,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  Documtntary  Hiitory  of  .Yew 
York,  ii,  630. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  nothing  was  said  to  the  Indians  at  this  time 
in  relation  to  "  burying  the  hatchet."  Shortly  before  the  conference, 
Colonel  Johnson  wi-ote  to  Mr.  Clinton  that  in  the  present  state  of  hostili- 
ties with  the  French,  he  did  not  think  it  advisable  to  take  the  hatchet  out 
of  their  hands;  and  by  the  advice  of  the  council,  to  whom  his  letter  wns 
referred,  Mr.  Clinton  countermanded  his  instruction  to  Johnson  iu  tiiis 
particular. — Council  minutes. 

»Mr,  Clinton,  whose  health  had  been  muoh  impaired  by  the  severity  of 
the  American  winters,  had  often  requested  to  be  recalled,  and  at  one  time 
had  disposed  of  all  his  furniture  preparatory  to  that  step.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  this  year  that  the  crown  saw  fit  to  grant  the  required  permission 
and  appoint  a  euccessor. 


m 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


429 


with  the  new 


xn. 


1753, 


the  oath  of  office  and  delivered  to  him  the  seals ;  at  the  chap. 
same  time  delivering  to  James  De  Lancey  his  commission 
as  lieutenant  governor.    As  soon  as  these  forms  were 
finished,  Governor  Osborne,  attended  by  the  council  and 
Mr.  Clinton,  set  out  for  the  town  hall,  where  the  new  com- 
mission was  usually  read  to  the  people.    Scarcely,  however, 
had  the  procession  advanced  a  few  steps,  when  the  rabble, 
incited,  it  is  su,id,  by  the  De  Lancey  faction,  insulted  Mr. 
Clinton  so  grossly,  as  to  compel  him  to  leave  the  party,  and 
retire  into  the  fort.    In  the  evening  cannon  were  fired,  bon 
fires  lighted,  fireworks  displayed,  and  the  whole  city  was 
given  up  to  a  delirium  of  joy.    Amid  all  these  rejoicings, 
the  new  governor  sat  in  his  room  gloomy  and  sad,  and 
seemingly  averse  to  conversation  retired  early.    On  Thurs- 
day morning  he  informed  the  council  that  his  strict  orders 
were  to  insist  upon  an  indefinite  support  for  the  govern- 
ment, and  desired  to  have  the  opinion  of  the  board  upon 
the  probabilities  of  its  success.  ^    It  was  universally  agreed 
by  the  members  present,  that  the  assembly  never  would 
submit  to  this  demand,  and  that  a  permanent  support  could 
not  be  enforced.    Turning  to  Mr.  Smith,  who  had  hitherto 
remained  silent,  he  requested  his  opinion,  which  being  to 
the  same  eft'ect  as  that  just  expressed,  Mr.  Osborne  sighed, 
and  leaning  against  the  window  with  his  face  partially  con- 
cealed exclaimed,  in  great  mental  distress,  "Then  what  am 
I  sent  here  for!"  ^    That  same  evening  he  was  so  unwell 
that  a  physician  was  summoned,  with  whom  he  conversed 
for  a  little  time,  and  then  retired  to  his  chamber,  where  he 
spent  most  of  the  night  in  arranging  his  private  affairs. 
In  the  morning  he  was  found  suspended  from  the  top  of 
the  garden  fence,  dead. '     '       ■     .        x        '   i       f  .     .    •. 

Sir  Danvers  Osborne  had  lost  a  wife  to  whom  he  was 
passionately  attached,  shortly  before  coming  to  'New  York. 

'  Council  minutes.  y 

'Smith. 

'Manuscript  aflBdaTits  of  Philip  Crosby  and  John  Milligan  before  the 
council.  Sworn  to,  Oct.  12,  1763,  and  now  preserved  in  the  secretary  of 
state's  office,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


th'.  1 


'^^ 


430 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1763. 


CHAP.  This  acting  upon  a  mind  morbidly  sensitive,  had  thrown 
*-v— '  him  into  a  melancholy  bordering  upon  insanity.  He  came 
to  the  government,  charged  with  instructions  much  more 
stringent  in  their  tone  than  those  given  to  his  predecessor ; 
and  knowing  the  difficulty  which  Mr.  Clinton  experienced 
during  his  administration,  he  saw  before  him  only  a  suc- 
cession of  storms  and  tempests.  Almost  the  first  words  of 
the  city  corporation  in  their  address  to  him  in  the  town  hall 
— "that  they  would  not  brook  any  infringement  of  their 
liberties  civil  and  religious,' — convinced  Mr.  Osborne  of 
the  utter  impossibility  of  the  task  assigned  him.  All  these 
causes  working  upon  a  morbid  state  of  mind, — wishing  to 
carry  out  his  instructions  on  the  one  hand,  yet  seeing  its 
utter  hopelessness  on  the  other, — produced  a  temporary 
insanity,  in  which  state  he  committed  the  rash  act.  Party 
rage,  it  is  true,  threw  out  suspicions  of  unfair  play ;  and 
the  council  even  thought  it  worth  while  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee to  investigate  more  fully  the  circumstances  of  his 
death ;  but  these  suspicions,  it  was  made  clearly  evident, 
were  entirely  without  foundation.^ 

Immediately  on  the  death  of  Governor  Osborne,  Mr. 
De  Lancey,  by  virtue  of  his  commission  as  lieutenant 
governor,  assumed  the  reins  of  government.  The  role 
which  he  was  now  to  play,  though  difficult,  was  acted  with 
his  usual  shrewdness  and  address.  He  had  now  to  con- 
vince the  ministry  that  he  was  zealous  in  the  promotion  of 
the  interests  of  the  crown  ;  while  at  the  same  time,  if  he 
would  retain  his  own  popr  larity,  he  must  show  the  assem- 
bly that  he  was  true  to  his  former  principles,  and  by  no 
means  required  a  compliance  with  the  instructions,  which, 
on  the  part  of  his  majesty,  he  should  present  to  them.  Of 
the  instructions  given  by  the  crown  to  Osborne,  which  were 
now  to  be  submitted  by  his  successor,  the  thirty-ninth 
article  was  the  most  obnoxious.  The  impression  was 
prevalent  that  the  increasing  power  of  Mr.  De  Lancey,  and 
the  ferment  raised  against  Mr.    Clinton's  administration, 

I  Council  minutea. 


^rt-^ 


If. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


431 


,  had  thrown 
,y.    He  came 
3  much  more 
predecessor ; 
1  experienced 
a  only  a  sue- 
first  words  of 
the  town  hall^ 
ment  of  their 
p.  Osborne  of 
m.    All  these 
[^—wishing  to 
,  yet  seeing  its 
i  a  temporal^ 
ash  act.    Party 
kfair  play ;  and 
appoint  a  com- 
mstances  of  his 
clearly  evident, 

Osborne,  Mr. 

as  lieutenant 
ent.  The  role 
,  was  acted  with 
id  now  tocon- 
le  promotion  of 
ame  time,  if  te 
ihow  the  assein- 
ples,  and  by  no 

ructions,  which, 

mt  to  them.  Of 
)rne,  which  were 
the  thirty-ninth 
impression  was 
De  Lancey,  and 
adminiHtration, 


1768 


was  the  occasion  of  the  insertion  of  this  article ;  providing  chap. 
as  it  did,  for  an  indefinite  support,  and  a  competent  salary » 
to  all  the  civil  officers  of  the  colony.  * 

The  lieutenant  governor  in  his  opening  message  to  the 
assembly,   the  last  day  of  October,  with   consummate 
tact,  said :  "  You  will  perceive  by  the  thirty-ninth  article 
of  his  majesty's  instructions  to  Sir  Danvers  Osborne,  (copies 
of  which  I  shall  herewith  deliver  you)  how  highly  his 
majesty  is  displeased  at  the  neglect  of  and  contempt  shown 
to  his  royal  commissions  and  instructions,  by  your  passing 
laws  of  so  extraordinary  a  nature,  and  by  such  your  unwar- 
rantable proceedings,  particularly  set  forth  in  this  instruc- 
tion; hence  also  his  majesty's  royal  pleasure  as  to  these 
matters  will  appear,  and  what  he  expects  fi-om  you.    On 
this  head,  I  must  observe  to  you,  that  by  our  excellent  con- 
stitution the  executive  power  is  lodged  in  the  crown ;  that 
all  government  is  founded  on  a  confidence  that  every  person 
will  discharge  the  duties  of  his  station ;  and  if  there  shall 
be  any  abuse  of  power  that  the  legal  and  regular  course  is 
to  make  application  to  his  majesty,  who,  having  a  frater- 
nal tenderness  to  all  his  subjects,  is  always  ready  to  hear 
and  redress  their  grievances."    To  the  assembly,  in  par- 
ticular, he  adds :  "  I  must  earnestly  press  it  upon  you,  that 
in  preparing  your  bill  for  the  support  of  government  and 
other  public  services,  you  pay  a  due  regard  to  his  majesty's 
pleasure  signified  in  his  instructions ;  and  frame  them  in 
such  a  manner,  as,  when  ia\d  before  me  for  my  assent,  I 
may  give  it  consistent  wit]>   my  duty  to  his    .        sty." 
Could  anything  be  more   satisfactory  to  the  min  in 

ap/)eamnce  than  this  message ?  "As  his  majesty's  repre- 
sentative, he  was  obliged  to  urge  their  compliance  with 
seeming  sincerity  and  warmth ;  but  as  James  De  Lancey, 
their  old  friend  and  best  adviser,  it  was  his  real  sentiment, 

'Letter  to  a  nobleman.     Mass.  Hist.  Col.,  vol.  7,  II  series,  p.  81. 

The  members  comprising  the  executive  council  at  this  time,  were  Messrs, 
Colden,  Alexander,  Kennedy,  De  Lancey,  Clarke,  jun.,  Murray,  Holland, 
Johnson,  Chambers,  and  Smith. 


At      ' 


482 


LIPB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1758 


I!     V 


CHAP,  that  never  ought  they  to  submit.  ^  The  answer  of  the 
assembly  was  equally  studied ; — "  On  reading  the  thirty- 
ninth  article  of  his  majesty's  iiistructions  to  Sir  Danvers 
Osborne,  your  honor's  immediate  predecessor,  rve  are 
extremely  surprised  to  find  that  the  public  transactions  of 
this  colony  have  been  so  maliciously  represented  to  our 


most  gracious 


sovereign. 


V^e  can,  sir,  with  truth  and 


justice  affirm,  that  his  majesty  has  not  in  his  dominions,  a 
people  more  firmly,  and  that  from  principles  of  real  aifec" 
tion,  devoted  to  his  person,  family  and  government,  than 
the  inhabitants  of  this  colony.  And  we  are  greatly  at  a 
loss  to  discover  in  what  instances  the  peace  and  tranquility 
of  the  colony  have  been  disturbed,  or  wherein  order  and 
government  have  been  subverted.  If  the  aourse  of  justice 
has  been  obstructed,  or  in  any  case  perverted  ^  it  has  beea 
by  the  direction  or  through  the  means  of  Mr.  Clinton,  late 
governor  of  this  province,  who  sent  peremptory  orders  to 
the  judges,  clerk,  and  sheriff  of  Dutchess  county,  to  stay  pro- 
cess, and  stop  the  proceedings  in  several  cases  of  private 
property  depending  in  that  court,  and  also  did  in  other 
counties  commissionate  judges  and  justices  of  known  ill 
character  and  extreme  ignorance;  and  others  were  so 
shamefully  ignorant  and  illiterate,  as  to  be  unable  to  write 
their  own  names,  from  whence  we  greatly  fear  that  justice 
has  in  many  cases  been  partially,  or  very  unduly  admin- 
istered."" By  such  false  charge?  did  the  assembly  attempt 
to  injure  Mr.  Clinton,  for  the  sake  of  gratifying  its  per- 
sonal enmity.  False  they  undoubtedlj  wore.  The  riots 
commenced  in  Dutchess  county,  to  which  allusion  is  here 
made,  were  brought  against  their  captains  by  those  who 
had  deserted  the  expedition  to  Canada  in  1746 ;  and  Mr. 
Clinton  had  confessed  at  the  time  to  the  house,  that  his 
letters  to  the  justices  had  been  written  ignoran+^v  and  in 
haste,  and  that  if  any  one  was  injured  he  wouid  pay  out 
of  his  own  purse   his  damages.     As  to  the  charge  of 

t  Letter  to  a  nobleman. 
•Council  minutes. 


LIFB  OF  8IK  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


483 


appointing  ignorant  men,  he  was  not  the  only  governor  chap. 
who  had  erred  in  a  similar  manner ;  and  indeed  Mr.  De  w^ 
Lancey  himself  was  not  free  from  the  same  charge.  *        i'^^. 

The  change  in  the  administration,  was,  however,  pro- 
ductive of  one  good  result — that  of  infUsing  into  the 
assembly  a  desire  to  take  active  measures  for  the  defence 
of  the  province.    All  the  wishes. of  the  governor  on  this 
point — as  indeed  on  every  other — ^were  promptly  responded 
to.    On  his  sending  down  to  them  a  letter  from  the  earl  cf 
Holdeness,  urging  that  measures  should  be  immediately 
taken  to  resist  the  incursion  of  the  French,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  assist  the  neighboiing  colonies,  some  of  whom 
had  written  for  aid,  and  to  meet  force  by  force.    Eight  hun- 
dred pounds  were  voted  for  Indian  presents,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds  for  his  voyage  to  Albany.    Fifteen 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds  were  voted  for  his  salary,-  a  much 
larger  sum  than  ever   before   given   to  any  lieutenant 
governor ;  and  also  the  arrearages  of  his  pay  as  chief  jus- 
tice up  to  the  twelfth  of  October.*    Before  the  clooe  of 
the  session,  an  elaborate  complaint  to  the  crown,  and  a 
representation  to  the  board  of  trade  against  Mr.  Clinton 
were  drawn  up,  and  forwarded  through  Mr.  DeLancsy  ard 
Mr.  Charles  to  the  home  government.    The  assembly  was 
then  prorogued  to  the  first  Tuesday  of  the  following 
March, — the  lieutenant  governor   "tenderly    remarking 
before  they  parted,  that  they  "must  be  sensible  they  had  not 
acted  with  his  majcBty's  royal  instructions." ' 


Fpon  the  death  of  Sir  Danvers  Osborne,  Mr.  Clinton 
retried  to  the  west  end  of  Long  Island,  whence  he  embarked 
shortly  afterward  for  England.  Before  he  sailed,  Mr.  De 
Lancey,  anxious  to  secure  his  influence  in  England, 
endeavored  to  «»ffect  a  reconciliation,  and  doubtless  would 
have  succeeded,  had  not  Mrs.   Clinton,  by  jk     "nfluence, 


'Letter  to  a  noblei  .ait. 
'Council  minutes. 
>  Smith. 


V^ 


66 


484 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BIRT. 


IM 


CHAP,  thwarted  his  designs.  *  On  his  return  home,  Mr.  Clinton 
w^-^  received  the  governorship  of  Greenwich  hospital,  a  sine- 
I7i>y.  t;are, '  and  on  the  death  of  Admiral  Stewart  in  the  month 
of  Mai'c;h,  1767,  became  admiral  of  the  fleet.  ''  Having 
thiiH  ol«i.  ned  the  highest  rank  in  the  service,  with  unsullied 
rewitaiio  >  and  the  justly  acquired  character  of  meriting, 
on  all  •;■ '  .sions,  the  good  will  of  his  countrymen,  he  died 
on  the  tputh  of  July,  1761,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his 

0g6."» 

The  chpracter  of  Mr.  Clinton  has  not,  I  think,  been  fairly 
di-aAv.'!.  "ihose,  upon  whose  opinions  his  character  rests, 
wore  persons  living  at  the  same  day,  and  who,  influenced 
*  -y  part}  strife,  were  not  in  a  position  to  judge  impartially. 
He  wa«  an  uncouth  and  unlettered  admiral,  who  had  been, 
through  the  Newcastle  interest,  appointed  to  the  chair  of 
governor.  He  was  evidently  unsuited  to  his  position ;  and 
his  former  profession,  in  which  he  had  always  been  accus- 
tomed to  command,  illy  fitted  him  to  brave  the  rebuffs  and 
the  opposition  of  party  faction.  His  manner,  too,  was 
not  such  as  to  win  friends.  Having  to  depend  entirely 
upon  the  advice  of  those  around  hira,  he  was  often  the 
dupe  of  those  better  versed  in  the  arts  of  diplomacy  than 
himself.  But  I  look  in  vain  for  that  love  of  ease,  to  the 
neglect  of  his  official  duties,  of  which  he  is  accused  by 
Mr.  Smith.  On  the  contrary,  although  he  relied  too  much 
on  the  advice  of  others  for  his  own  good,  yet  it  was  caused 
more  by  a  consciousness  of  a  lack  of  education,  than  by  a 
desire  to  shirk  action.  In  +he  (>are  of  the  Indians  he  was 
indefatigable,  as  appears  by  his  large  correspondence  with 
Colonel  Johnson  and  the  officers  of  the  different  frontier 
poses.  He  labored  incessantly  with  his  assembly  to  make 
them  realize  the  condition  of  the  colony,  and  had  they  met 
his  views  half  way,  or  even  manifested  u  tythe  of  his  energy, 


1  Letter  to  a  nobleman. 

'The  adn:ini     -ation  or      .    Clinton,  as  gove  "or  o*"  tte  colony,  occupied 
ten  years,  he  having  a  •  ,ved  as  governor  in  Septt  nber  1743. 
^Biographia  Navulit,  by  John  Charnock;  London,  1790. 


I  home,  Mr.  Clinton 
ich  hospital,  a  sine- 
Stewart  in  the  month 
the  fleet.  "  Having 
grvice,  with  unsullied 
aaracter  of  meriting, 
countrymen,  he  died 
'enty-tifth  year  of  his 

ot,  I  think,  been  fairly 
B  his  character  rests, 
,  and  who,  influenced 
t  to  judge  impartially, 
dmiral,  who  had  been, 
ointedtothe  chair  of 
ed  to  his  position;  and 
lad  always  been  accus- 
)  brave  the  rebufl's  and 
lis  manner,  too,  was 
y  to  depend  entirely 
lira,  he  was  often  the 
irts  of  diplomacy  than 
at  love  of  ease,  to  the 
lich  he  is  accused  by 
agh  he  relied  too  much 
good,  yet  it  was  caused 
f  education,  than  by  a 
of  the  Indians  he  was 
■e  correspondence  with 
t  the  difierent  frontier 
_  his  assembly  to  make 
)lony,  and  had  they  met 
lutythe  of  his  energy, 


or  o'  tlie  colony,  occupied 
epti  liber  1743. 
ndon,  1790. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


485 


the  province  of  New  York  would  not  have  presented  such  c»\p. 
an  inviting  field  for  the  encroachments  of  the  French.  <—.y—' 
He  is  accused  of  amassing  by  unfair  means  a  large  fortune  ^^^^• 
while  governor,  yet  he  freely  advanced  out  of  his  private 
purse  large  sums  for  the  exigencies  of  the  Indian  affairs, 
and  many  times  saved  the  Six  Nations  from  defection,  and 
the  province  from  the  horrors  of  a  predatory  warfare,  when 
it  was  impossible  to  rouse  the  assembly  to  a  sense  of  danger. 
Indeed,  I  think  it  may  safely  be  said,  that  had  it  not  been  ,.^,,, 
for  the  untiring  efforts  of  Mr.  Clinton  ^nd  Colonel  John-    '"^• 
son,  the  Six  Nations  would  have  been  completely  won  over       ^ 
by  the  French,  and  the  fire-brand  and  tomahawk  carried 
down  to  the  very  gates  of  New  York. 


Hi: 


"i.ii 


■1- ;,  I  ( 


V-^'li 


1-!.'.|.-     I'i 


./:'.   11 


•i'% //  '>ih  pi 


i'tn. 


<iU   y. 


'   f  i '    !  I  ■ .  I . :  / , 


',<■'' 


ii;i'!)     II 


■t    i;     /111 


•/-i;!:ii> 


;  I :  -'  ii ! 


;1   li  v;m. 


■a    ! : M - 


iiiil-i  i: 


:i    ilv 


.'  I !  11  r- 


M'v; 


I  i ;      I ; , ;  1 1 


'<     .!:■ 


(I 


M     ,^' 


oHi- 


•i'  ll'l 


.   J-/  .  :    ■    ■     , 

-  ■  ■:  ■.■>:i(  '.-  '    \ 


.1    1.1 

■    .'  '  I,    ,  I  .'n 


'■i 


CHAPTER  XIIL 


!1      ,1) 


1758—1754. 


•'I  I' 


CHAP 

XIII. 


Tli6  p'erida  k  noiv  reached,  when  the  Acihfif  public  life 
of  Colonel  Johnson  begins.  In  order  to  cortectly  appre- 
1763.  ciate  his  fUture  career,  it  is  necessary  to  understand  fully 
the  complications  which  had  again  arisen  between  the 
English  and  the  French;  and  which  led  to  a  renewal  of 
hostilities  between  those  two  nations,  finally  culminating 
in  the  war,  which  shook  both  hemispheres  to  their  very 
centres. 

The  treaty  of  Aix  La  Chapelle,  as  remarked  in  the  last 
chapter,  was  in  its  eft'ect  only  a  truce.    The  boundaries 
between  the  lands  belonging  to  the  crowns  of  England 
and  France,  were  left  as  indefinite  after,  as  before  the 
treaty ;  and  consequently,  those  lands,  to  the  possession  of 
which  both  claimed  a  right,  were  still  in  dispute.    The 
valley  of  the  Ohio,  with  its  noble  forests  and  alluvial 
meadows,  presented  to  the  eyes  of  both  governments  a 
tempting  prize,  which  each  was  unwilling  to  relinquish. 
The  grounds  on  which  France  founded  her  right  to  the 
ownership  of  this  fair  domain,  were  discovery  and  occu- 
pancy.    She  insisted  that  La  Salle,  Father  Marquette  and 
others  had  sailed  down  the  Mississippi,   and  that  settle- 
ments had  been  made  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Michigan 
and  on  the  Wabash,  long  before  it  had  been  travelled  by 
any  Englishman.     On  this  point,  however,  the  statements 
of  the  early  French  writers  are  very  confused,  and  the 
fact  itself  is  difficult  to  substantiate.    The  claims  of  Eng- 
land  were  infinitely  broader.     She  had  from  the  very  lirst 
claimed  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  on  the  ground 
that  the  discovery  and  assion  of  the  sea  board,  was  a 


LIFA  of  sill  tVILLIAM  JOHNSOK,   BART. 


48t 


f,,!;l      ;!;.. 


Hv«  ^tibtlc  life 
)n*ectly  appre- 
iderfttand  fully 
n  between  the 
fco  a  renewal  of 
lly  culminating 
B  to  their  very 

ked  in  the  last 
Che  boundaries 
-as  of  England 
as  before  the 
tie  possession  of 
dispute.    The 
its  and  alluvial 
governments  a 
ig  to  relinquish, 
ler  right  to  the 
jovery  and  oecu- 
Marquette  and 
and  that  settle- 
Lake  Michigan 
eon  travelled  by 
r,  the  statements 
aifused,  and  the 
e  claims  of  Eng- 
om  the  very  first 
on  the  ground 
sea  board,  was  a 


discovery  of  the  whole  country  lying  between   the  two  oha». 
oceans.     So  far,  indeed,  as  actual  discovery  was  an  argu-  <-.y— / 
ment,  she  insisted  upon  it  Very  little.    It  is  true,  that  in  ^''^^* 
1742,  John  Howard,  crossing  the  mountains,  launched  a 
canoe  of  Buffalo  hide,  and  sailed  down  the  Ohio,  reaching 
the  Mississippi,  only  to  bo  captured  by  the  French.     Con- 
rad Weiser,  the  Pennsylvania  interpreter,  had  also  in  1748 
taken  a  trip  to  Logstown,  an  Indian  canton  on  the  Ohio, 
and  distributed  presents  to  the  Indians.    This,  however, 
could  give  the  English  no  claim,  as  neither  of  those  per- 
sons made  any  settlements ;  and  besides,  the  entire  Valley 
through  which  the  former  sailed,  had  been  trapped  and 
traversed  long  before  by  th6  French  hunters  and  traders. 
But  the  chi<if  argument  on  which  the  English  based  their 
claim  to  the  ownership  of  the  lands  West  of  the  AUegha- 
nies  was,  that  the  Ohio  valley  belonged  to  the  Six  I^ations, 
and  that  When  they  in  1684,  at  Albany,  placed  all  their 
lands  under  the  protection  of  England,  this  valley  was  also 
included.    Aside  from  this  right  to  protect  their  lands, 
which — under  the  supposition  that  the  Six  Nations  were 
correct  in  t  i(?ir  claim  to  the  lands  in  question — was  unde- 
niable, the  Enfflioh  declared  that  many  of  the  western 
lands  were  actu  '     purchased  by  them  from  the  Indians  at 
the  treaty  held  in  Lancaster  in  1744.    A  few  deeds  of 
land  were  at  that  time  unquestionably  given ;  ahd  among 
them  one  in  which  was  recognized  the  right       '•he  king 
"to  all  lands  that  are  or  by  his  majesty's  a^j^  ointment 
shall  be  within  the  colony  of  Virginia."    Under  this  deed 
—although  it  was  repudiated  by  the  Indians  at  Logstown, 
in  1752 — ^the  English  relied  in  all  their  subsequent  proceed- 
ings.   Af  ^^  *his,  settlements  were  farther  extended  west- 
ward, as  ti-  ;  aotjire  of  the  whites  to  enlarge  their  trade 
with  the  Indians  increased,  until  in  1748  several  individu- 
als, among  whom  were  Augustine  and  Laurence,  brothers 
of  George  Washington,  formed  an  association  under  the 
name  of  the  Ohio  Company ;  and  petitioned  the  crown 
for  a  grant  of  six  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  west  of 


488 


LIFK  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


-M 


I 
'I 


*?nf '  ^^^^  AUeghanies.     Tho  object  of  this  cnterpriso  w  as  i  .  own 
w,^  lands,  upon  which  to  establish  tnuling  houses,  and  ini- 
^^**-  port  the  furs  obtained  from   the  Indians,   receiving  in 
return  European  goods.'    These  lauds  were  to  be  princl- 
pally  located  upon  the  south  side  of  the  Ohio,  and  to 
include  all  the  region  that  was  embraced  between  the 
Monongaiiola  and  tho  Kanawha  rivers;    the    company 
reserving  to  itself  the  privilege  of  settling  a  portion  upon 
the  north  side,  should  it  be  deemed   advisable.     As  no 
permament  settlement,  however,  could  be  made  by  the 
company  with  any  hope  of  success    without  some  defi- 
nite arran^;ement  with  tho  Indians,  the  government  of 
Virginia  was  petitioned  to  invite  them  to  a  treaty,  at  which 
a  better  title  to  the  lands  to  be  settled,  could  be  obtained. 
As  a  preliminary  step  to  this  measure,  Christo]    er  Gist  was 
sent  to  expioro  the  country,  and  report  his  observations  to 
the  board.     Pursuing  his  instructions,  Mr.  Gist,  in  the 
winter  of  1751,  went  down  the  south  bank  of  the  river  as 
far  as  the  Kanawha,  in  the  vicinity  of  which,  he  spent 
several  ni   "ths,  taking  accurate  observations  of  the  quality 
of  the  laud,    -ndits  suit  1'  onessfor  the  object  proposed.' 
Finding,  hov,    ;er,  that  iu»  farther  progress  could  be  made 
until  the  Indian   —who  influenced  by  the  French  traders 
now  regarded  >    J\  extreme  suspicion  the  designs  of  the 
English — had  been  won   >ver,  commissioners  were  sent  in 
May  1762,  to  Logstow       )  treat  with  the  Mingoes,  Shaw- 
nees  and  Ohio  Indians.     On  the  Lancaster  treaty  being 
produced,  and  the  western  lands  under  that  treaty  claimed, 
the  chiefs  indignantly  replied  that  "  they  had  not  heard  of 
any  sale  west  of  the  warriors'  road,  which  ran  at  the  foot 
of  the  Alleghany  ridge."     "While  they  acknowledged  the 
treaty  of  Lancaster,  and  the  authority  of  the  Six  iTatione, 
they  denied  that  it  gave  the  English  any  claim  to  land 
west  of  the  AUeghanies ;  but,  added  the  half  king,  "  as  the 
French  have  already  struck  our  frienc  -,  the  Miamis,  we 

I  Sparks's  Wathington,  ii,  478. 

'Idem.  ■''''' 


If' 


LIFE   or  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


489 


therefore  dcHire  that  our  brothors  of  Virginia  will  build  aoHAp. 
strong  house  at  the  fork  of  the  Monongahela."  Not  satis-  »-,,w 
lied,  however,  with  this,  the  commissionors  prevailed  upon  l^^*- 
Captain  Montour  to  use  his  influence  with  the  Indians, 
to  eft'ect  a  sale  of  the  lands  in  question.'  The  influence 
of  the  half  breed  was  successful ;  and  upon  the  thirteenth 
of  June  a  deed,  signed  by  all  the  chiefs,  was  given,  "con- 
firming the  Lancaster  treaty  in  its  full  eft'eot"  and  guaranty- 
ing that  the  settlements  south-east  of  the  Ohio  should  not 
by  them  be  molesto'l.*  '''-'■  ■  .» •((■iiri.u-  .';!«rtr  ;..  -.m..,ii 
The  French,  iiituuwhile,  were  not  indifterent  to  the 
designs  of  the  English.  It  was  evident  to  them,  that  if  the 
latter  were  allowed  to  establish  settlements  and  trading 
posts  along  the  Ohio,  it  would  interfere  grievously  with 
their  own  plans  for  its  possession .  The  governors  of  Canada 
-crenerally  military  men — had  watched  their  rivals  with 
jealous  eyes ;  and  for  several  years  had  selected  and  fortified 
such  positions  as  would  best  command  an  ascendency  over 
the  Indians,  and  secure  a  rendezvous  from  which  to  make 
incursions  upon  the  northern  frontiers.'  The  spiritual  arm 
was  also  called  to  their  aid,  and  missionary  stations,  *'  deep 
in  the  wilderness,"  quietly  went  on  with  the  work  of  con- 
version. As  soon  therefore  as  La  Jonqui^re,  the  Canadian 
governor,  heard  of  the  formation  of  the  Ohio  company, 
deemi.  ;  it  an  intrusion  into  "  the  dominions  of  his  most 
Christian  majesty,"  he  wrote  to  the  governors  of  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania,  informing  them  of  the  encroachments 
of  the  English  traders  upon  French  territory,  and  threaten- 
'    I      1 1   .III 

'Pioh-j-bly  Henry  Mintun,  the  Indian  Interpreter — son  of  Catherine  Mon- 
tour— to  v'Lom  allusion  hat  been  made  in  a  former  chapter. 

'Ill  tills  iiiscussion  of  the  French  and  English  claims  to  the  Ohio  valley, 
I  haro  freely  consulted  a  very  able  paper  in  the  North  Ameriean  Review  for 
July  1839, — entitled,  "A  review  of  travels  through  the  interior  parts 
of  North  America,  in  the  years  1766,  1767,  and  1768."  It  has  been  stated 
that  a  few  Iroriuois  chiefs  were  present  at  the  Logstown  treaty.  This  hoyf- 
ever,  is  denied  by  ColonelJohnson  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Clinton.  Doc, 
Ilis.N.  Y.,  ii,  624.  ,  ,  ; 

'  Marshall. 


t'l 


,'y^PN' 


IT? 


5iO 


Liri   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  B4&T, 


OHAF.  inj?  that  unlesB  they  immediately  withdrew  he  should  Heiz* 
s«^— /tiicm  "wherever  found."'  No  uotico  being  taken  of  this 
I'W.  throat,  La  Jonqui^re  proved  its  sincerity  by  seizing,  in  thu 
summer  of  1752,  some  English  traders  among  the  Tuigh. 
wees,  and  confining  them  for  a  time  nt  Prosque  IsIq  ou  Lakq 
Erie,  whore  a  strong  fort  at  that  timo  was  erootingii  Sim- 
ultaneously, by  a  chain  of  posts  along  the  French  creek 
and  Alleghany  river,  a  communication  was  opened  from 
Presque  Isle  to  the  Ohio,  which  was  kept  clear  by  detugh- 
mcnts  of  troops  stationed  at  convenient  distances ; — twelve 
hundred  men  being  sent  at  one  tim^,  as  was  meutioaed  in 
the  last  chapter,  for  this  purpose.        Uiju-i  .dt  (i.  ^-i^ 

The  Ohio  company,  justly  considering  these  proceedings 
as  a  direct  intrusion  upon  the  lands  which,  as  part  of  Vir- 
ginia, had  been  granted  it  by  the  crown,  complained 
bitterly  of  this  grievance,  and  called  ppon  Robert  Din- 
widdie,  the  lieutenant  governor  of  that  province,  to 
demand  that  these  aggressions  should  bo  stopped.  This 
gentleman  having  laid  the  matter  before  his  assembly,  that 
body  resolved  that  a  messenger  should  be  sent  to  Le  Gardeur 
St.  Pierre,  commander  of  the  French  troops  then  stationed 
in  the  west,  to  r^moaetr^te  Yrith  him  ^^ainst  those  encroach- 
ments. •    ...         ' 

The  messenger  to  whom  was  entrusted  this  delicate 
mission,  was  George  Washington.  His  coolness,  knowledge 
of  woodcraft,  and  familiarity  with  hardship,  acquired  in 
his  profession  of  surveyor,  eminently  qualified  him  for  the 
undertaking.  Late  in  October,  1,7^3,  he  set  out  from  "Wil- 
liamsburgh,  and  arrived  at  "Wells  creek'  in  fourteen  days. 
Here  being  joined  by  an  Indian  and  a  French  interpreter, 
the  young  envoy,  with  Gist  as  a  guide,  hastened  forward. 
Before  he  would  reach  his  destination,  four  hundred 
miles  of  a  trackless  wilderness  was  to  be  traversed,  full  of 
savage  men  and  savage  beasts,  and  deep  with  the  early 
snows  of  winter.    Yet  in  the  face  of  sleet,  and  rain,  and 

1  Marfihall.    Ls  Jonqui^re  to  Clinton,  Col  Hist.  N.  T.      .. 

*  Cumberland.  ,, 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLI/ 


1N80N,    DAUT. 


441 


e  should  Beizfi 
taken  of  tins 
leizing,  w  tho 
[ig  tho  Tuigli. 
le  lale  on  Lake 
rootingf    Sim- 
French  creek 
a  opened  from 
lear  hy  detiiQli- 
mcea ;— twelve 
B  meutioued  in 

i  •iifi  'it>  '•'r, 
ese  proceedings 

as  part  of  Vir- 

rn,   qomplttined 

a  llohert  Din- 

at  province,  to 

stopped.  This 
isassemhlyjtliat 
nttoLeGardeur 
pa  then  stationed 

these  wcroach- 

,^d  this  delicate 
luess,  knowledge 

hip,  acquired  in 
lifiedhimforthe 

et  put  from  Wil- 
in  fourteen  days, 
ench  interpreter, 
astened  forward. 
I,  four  hundred 
traversed,  full  of 
p  with  the  early 
et,  and  rain,  and 


l)rO<Jl-OHAF. 

'  xiu. 


Biiow — through  tangled  undorl    '.  1i  and  across  iey 
pices — ho  pushed  on,  and  upon  tho  olovonth  of  Decomhor 
reached  fort  La  Bocuf, '  at  tho  head  of  tho  western  branch  ^'^^ 
of  French  creek,  the  headquarters  of  thoFronch  corunand- 
ant.     Bt.  Piiirro  received  him  with   great  courte.^  ;  and 
alter  remaining  three  or  four  days,  during  which  he  em- 
ployed himself   in  taking  accurate   observations  of  tho 
strength  and  position  of  the  fort,  he  set  out  on  his  return, 
bearing  with  him  a  sealed  letter  to  Biuwiddie  li'om  the 
French  commandant'   ;,  i'ffVj.K  f,<i(.,  .>'.i.r. ,.:  ,,»«i,'»  ...i. »,,.;,.( 
Tho  answer  of  St.  Pierre,— rwhich  was  to  the  effect  that 
be  had  taken  possession  of  tho  Ohio  under  the  authority 
of  bis  general,  the  governor  of  Canada,  to  whom  ho  would 
refer  the  matter  and  abide  by  his  decision, — convinced  the 
assembly  of  Virginia  that  tho  Ohio  would  not  be  given  up 
without  a  severe   struggle.    Acting  with   these    views, 
Governor  Dinwiddle  wrote  to  the  board  of  trade  Informing 
it  that  a  descent  of  the  Ohio  was  meditated  early ,  in  the 
spring  by  some  fifteen  hundred  French  and  Indians,  having 
for  its  design  the  entire  occupation  of  the  valley  of  that 
river.    At  the  same  time  he  sent  expresses  to  the  govern- 
ors of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  for  aid,  and  proceeded, 
at  the  suggestion  of  his  council,  to  raise  two  companies 
of  troops — one  of  which  was  to  be  given  to  Washington, 
while  a  backwoodsman,  by  the  name  of  Trent,  was  to  raise 
the  other  and  proceed  at  once  to  the  frontier,  to  aid  in 
completing  a  fort,  already  begun  by  the  Ohio  company  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Alleghany  and  the  Monongahela. 

Having  thus  briefly  sketched  the  progress  of  events  in 
the  Ohio  valley  up  to  the  opening  of  this  year — 1754, 1 
now  return  to  affairs  in  tho  province  of  New  York.       ,..; 

The  general  assembly  met  on  the  nii^th  of  April.  In  his 
opening  message,  Mr.  Do  Lancey  informed  the  legislature 
of  the  recent  encroachments  of  the  French  upon  theterri- 

>W»terford.  , 

'For  a  full  aooount  of  this  journey,  see  Washington's  journal  on  th^s 
oooasion  in  Spavke'e  Wathinffton,  yol.  ii,  Appendix. 

P»6 


U'4 


442 


LIFB   OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CTTAP-  tory  of  his  majesty,  and  of  their  preparations  for  its  secure 


xiu. 


occupancy  by  the  erection  of  a  chain  of  forts  fi'om  Lake 
1764.  jjrig  ^Q  tije  Ohio.    In  connection  with  tliis,  the  determina- 
tion of  Virginia  to  resist  these  aggressions,  and  her  request 
for  aid  from  the  colony  of  New  Yoik  was  alluded  to — as 
was  also  the  defenceless  condition  of  their  own  northern 
frontier,  and  the  urgent  necessity  for  the  erection  of  more 
forts  for  its  protection.     The  importance  of  the  trading 
post  at  Oswego,  moreover,  was  such  as  to  need  no  argument 
to  induce  them  to  vote  a  sum  sufficient  for  its  thorough  repair, 
for,  situated  on  the  direct  route  of  the  French  to  the  Ohio, 
it  was  liable  at  any  time  to  be  attacked.    It  was  his  hope, 
therefore,  in  view  of  the  expectations  which  his  majesty 
had  expressed  in  the  earl  of  Holdernesse's  letter,  that  ample 
means  would  be  granted  not  only  for  transporting  two  of 
the  independent  companies  to  Virginia,  treating  with  the 
Six  Nations,  and  tbrtifying  the  northern  frontier,  but  also 
for  their  share  of  any  expense  that  might  be  incurred  by  the 
colonies  for  the  public  welfare.    The  assembly,  in  their 
answer  on  the  twelfth,  admitted  that  the  several  matters 
recommended  by  his  excellency  were  certainly  of  tlie 
utmost  importance  "  to  all  his  majesty's  colonies  upon  the 
continent,  and  ought  to  be  esteemed  a  public  concern." 
In  view  likewise  of  the  active  operations  of  the  French, 
and  their  efforts  to  secure  all  the  Indian  nations  in  their 
interest,  Virginia,  they  thought,  was  deserving  of  all  praise 
for  her  vigorous  action.     So  far  all  was  well ;  but  with  a 
niggardly  spirit,  rendered  the  more  glaring  by  their  seeming 
appreciation  of  the  critical  state  of  affairs,  regretted,  iu 
the  very  same  paragraph,  that  the  paucity  of  the  colony 
would    prevent   them  affording    all    that    assistance  to 
their  sister  colony  that  they  could  wish.    The  reason  of 
this  inability,  they  said,  was  the  large  debts  that  the  colony 
had  already  incurred  for  its  own  pi*otection, — especially  the 
great  expense  to  which  it  had  been  subjected  in  building 
the  forts  at  Albany,  Schenectady,  Fort  Hunter  and  Oswego. 
Moreover,  all  that  the  colony  could  raise  would  be  hardly 


LIFE   OP   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


448 


sufficient  for  the  defence  of  its  own  frontiers,  menaced  as  chap. 
much  by  the  French  settlement  at  Crown  Point,  as  werev-v-' 
the  southern  colonies  by  the  forts  along  the  Ohio  ^    They,  i'*^ 
however,  voted  one  thousand  pounds  for  the  aid  of  Vir- 
ginia, four  hundred  and  fifty-six  pounds  for  doubling  the 
garrison  at  Oswego,  and  eleven  hundred  and  fifty-six  pounds 
for  Indian  presents,  and  the  expense  of  the  coming  treaty. 
They  also  agreed  to  pay  the  charges  incident  to  repairing 
Oswego,  and  bear  their  share  in  erecting  forts  along  the 
frontier  for  mutual  protection.'  ,,,■<>: 

The  excuse  of  the  assembly  for  not  doing  more  in  aid  of 
its  sister  colony,  had  it  come  from  a  body  of  men  that  had 
uniformly  proved  its  patriotism  by  bdng  ever  alive  to  the 
interests  of  the  colony,  would  have  been  amply  sufficient; 
but  emanating,  as  it  did,  from  an  assembly  which  had  always 
manifested  the  greatest  indifference  to  the  welfare  of  the 
province,  and  which  had  left  the  settlers  upon  the  frontier 
exposed  to  all  the  horrors  of  a  merciless  predatory  warfare, 
its  exduse  was  little  better  than  a  miserable  shift.    The 
trading  house  at  Oswego  had  been  left  for  two  years  past 
with  a  miserable  roof  of  bark,  although  its  condition  had 
been  frequently  called  to  their  attention,*  and  the  frontier 
fortifications  were  not  in  a  much  better  condition.    The 
fort  at  Saratoga  had  been  burned  and  abandoned  because 
they  had  refused  to  keep  it  in  a  proper  state  of  defence ; 
the  friendship  of  the  Six  Nations  had  been  spurned,  and 
Colonel  Johnson  quarreled  with,  for  bringing  these  matters 
to  their  attention, — so  tiiat  this  sudden  anxiety  for  the 
security  and  welfare  of  the  colony,  was  simply  ridiculous. 
The  argument,  advanced  by  tlie  assembly — that  the  king 
should  aflford  the  means  for  the  protection  of  his  own 
dependencies  was  true,  so  far  as  the  rights  of  the  crown 
were  involved  in  the  defence  of  the  colonies ;  but  the  pro- 
tection of  the  firesides  of  the  colonists  themselves,  when 

'  Journals  of  the  assembly. 
'Idem.    See  also  Smith. 
'ManuBoript  oounoil  minutes. 


r      ! 


*'^, ' 


444 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


CHAP,  only  their  individual   interests  were   at  stake,  certainly 
w,,_/  should  not  have  been  a  burden  upon  the  home  government. 
1764.      Mr.  j)o  Lancey,  deeming  the   answer  of  the  assembly 
unsatisfactory,  reminded  it  in  a  special  message  on  the 
nineteenth,  of  the  resolution  passed  at  its  fall  session  "  to 
repel  force  by  force."    Quoting  an  extract  from  a  letter 
lately  received  from  the  board  of  trade — to  the  effect  that 
high  expectations  had  been   raised  in  the  mind  of  his 
majesty  by  that  resolution, — he  begged  that  it  would  act 
promptly  upon  this  occasion,   and  send   to  Virginia  the 
assistance  which  she  so  earnestly  requested.     To  this  the 
house  replied  by  referring  him  to  the  resolution  in  ques- 
tion— "  that  they  would  assist  any  of  his  majesty's  colonies 
to  repel  force  by  force  wi  case  they  were  invaded"  and  evasively 
resolved  that  there  had  as  yet  been  no  invasion,  as  the  fort 
which  had  been  built  by  the  French  was  at  French  creek, 
and  "  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  river  Ohio,"  tht 
cause  of  the  dispute.     The  executive  at  once  answered  this 
quibble  by  stating  that  the  forts  in  question  had  beeu 
erected  in  the  country  of  the  Fries — a  nation  e'  :  irely  auni- 
hilatod  by  the  Six  Nations — and  that  as  by  the  treaty  of 
TTtretcht,  the  Six  ISTations  were  the  pubjects  of  Great  J3rit- 
ain,  the  building  of  the  forts  "  was  evidently  an  invasion 
of  his  majesty's  territories,  though  perhaps,  not  so  clearly 
within  the  limits  of  any  colony."     The  assembly,  however, 
was  not  to  be  moved,  anJ  besides  the  bill  for  raising  t'le 
supplies  had  already  been  Lent  up  to  the  council  for  ihe 
action  of  that  body.     This  bill,  which  provided  that  the 
different  sums  should   be  issueJ   by  the  treasurer  on  the 
receipts  of  the  persons  named  thei  "^in,  and  not  by  the  wtir- 
rant  from  the   governor,  nor  with  vhe   "  consent  of  his 
majesty's  council,"  was   deemed  by  th?  council  not  to  he 
in  accordance  with  the  "  commission  and  instructions,"  niid 
was  therefore  sent  back  to  the  house  for  revision.    Tbis 
the  latter  refused  to  do,  alleging  that  the  bill  Avas  according 
"to  a  method  long  pursued,  settled  with,  and  Holenmly 
agreed  to,  by  the  late  Governor  Clinton  ;"  but  in  auBWOi' 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


445 


ke,  certainly 
government, 
the  assembly 
issage  on  the 
11  session  "  to 
from  a  letter 
the  effect  that 
>  mind  of  \m 
t  it  would  act 
Virginia  the 
[.     To  this  the 
lution  in  ques- 
jesty's  colonies 
"  and  evasively 
,sion,  as  the  fort 
t  French  creek, 
iver  Ohio,"  tht. 
3e  answered  this 
ition  had  been 
)n  c'  ;  irely  anni- 
y  the  treaty  of 
3  of  Great  i3rit- 
y  an  invasion 
!,  not  so  clearly 
emldy, 'however, 
for  raising  tlie 
council  for  the 
ovided  that  the 
treasurer  on  the 
not  by  the  war- 
consent  of  Ills 
ouncil  not  to  be 
structions,"  aw\ 
revision.    Tbis 
,ill  was  according 
and  Holcniuly 
but  in  answer 


counselling  CHAP. 


to    another    message    from    the    executive, 
unanimity  and  dispatch,  it  agreed  to  frame  a  bill  which 
should  not  be  obnoxious  to  the  above  objections.    Before,  ^"^^^ 
however,  the  bill  was  reconsidered,  it  proceeded  to  vote 
the  supplies  which  it  was  to  contain,  but  made  no  allusion 
to  the  one  thousand  pounds  lately  voted  to  Virginia.     This 
or^-ission  was  pointed  out  to  their  notice  by  Mr.  De  Lan- 
cey  in  a  special  message  on  the  fourth  of  May ;  and  the 
assembly  were  specially  urged  not  to  omit  the  sum  allowed 
to  Virginia,  which,  by  its  having  been  previously  voted, 
would  remain  an  indellible  stain  on  its  reputation.     In  its 
answer  the  same  day  the  house  bluntly  charged  the  coun- 
cil with  the  delay,  and  the  withdrawal  of  aid  from   Vir- 
ginia.    They  farther  said  that  when  they  promised  to  frame 
a  bill  which  should  obviate  all  objections,  they  referred 
only  to  those  provisions  which  were  absolutely  necessary 
fv-  the  security  of  the  colony — and  that  they  did  not  con- 
sider themselves  chargeable  with  any  ill  faith.    In  conclu- 
sion they,  uttered  a  growl  at  the  large  sums  of  money  they 
were  forced  to  expend  by  so  long  a  sitting,  especially  when 
they  could  be  of  no  service,  and  requested  that  they  might 
all  be  dismissed  to  their  homes.    Mr.   De  Lancey  in  his 
reply  stated  that  he  should  lay  a  candid  statement  of  their 
conduct  before  the  king ;  and  having  given  his  assent  to 
those  bills  that  were  ready,  prorogued  the  assembly. 

Meanwhile,  Virginia  was  not  idle.  The  assembly,  though 
not  without  great  unwillingness,  voted  ten  thousand  pounds 
for  the  defence  of  the  province,  and  increased  the  two 
companies  already  formed  to  six.^  In  answer  also  to  the 
solicitations  of  Dinwiddle,  a  few  troops  arrived  from  South 
Carolina,  and  intelligence  was  received  at  nearly  the  same 
time  that  South  Carolina  had  voted  twelve  thousand  pounds 
for  defence,  and  that  four  hundred  volunteers  would  soon 
be  on  the  way  to  Winchester.  The  prospect  now  looked 
more  cheering ;  and  a  regiment  of  six  hundred  men  was 
immediately  raised  and  placed   under  the   command  of 

'Governor  Diuwiddie  to  Lieutenant  Governor  De  Lancey. 


mnc^'^m: 


'^^f* 


446 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP.  Colonel  Joshua  Fry,  Washington  being  made  second  in. 
v-^^—/ command,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  The 
1754.  governor,  in  order  to  stimulate  the  military  ardor  of  the 
people  and  give  energy  to  enlistments,  issued  a  proclama- 
tion, offering  a  bounty  of  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of 
land  on  the  Ohio  river,  to  be  divided  among  those  troops 
who  should  enlist  for  the  proposed  expedition,  free  from  all 
quit  rents  for  fifteen  years.  * 

All  now  was  bustle  and  activity.  Captain  Trent,  with 
forty-one  men,  pushed  ahead  to  occupy  the  fort  at  the 
Monongahela.  Young  men,  lured  on  by  the  tempting 
bounty,  and  seeing  themselves  in  the  future  snugly 
esconced  in  comfortable  farms,  hastened  to  enlist.  Cannon 
which  had  arrived  from  England  for  the  fort  at  the  fork, 
were  hurried  forward.  All  day  long  the  farrier  plied  his 
forge,  and  at  night  the  sparks  from  its  huge  chimney  told 
of  the  work  that  was  still  going  on  within.  Wagons  were 
got  in  readiness,  old  firelocks  mended,  and  swords  which 
had  been  handed  down  as  heir  looms  from  father  to  son, 
were  taken  down  from  over  the  fireplace,  polished,  and 
made  ready  for  service. 

As  soon  as  the  genial  rays  of  the  sun  had  unlocked  the 
icy  chains  which  bound  the  western  streams.  Colonel 
Washington  set  out  from  Alexandria,  with  two  eomnanies 
— all  that  had  been  collected.  The  march  was  slow  and 
painful.  The  melting  snows  and  the  warm  days  and  cold 
nights  of  early  spring  rendered  the  roads  nearly  impassable. 
The  baggage  moved  forward  slowly  from  the  scarcity  of 
wagons  in  which  to  transport  it,  and  the  "  self-willed  and 
ungovernable"  recruits  under  Washington  rendered  efficient 
concert  of  action  almost  impossible.  Wills  creek  was  at 
length  reached  upon  the  twentieth  of  April.  Just  before 
his  entrance  into  this  settlement.  Colonel  Washington  wuh 
met  by  the  ensign  of  Captain  Trent's  company.  The 
intelligence  brought  by  this  messenger  was  mournful  in 
the  extreme.    It  was,  that  while  his  company  were  at  work 


'  Sparks. 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


447 


upou  the  fort,  a  body  of  one  thousand  French  troops,  com-  R"-^^' 
manded  by  Contrecoeur,  in  three  hundred  and  sixty  bateaux,  >-v— < 
had  dropped  down  the  river  from  Venango,  and  planting  ^^^*' 
theii  artillery  before  the  fort,  summoned  them  to  surrender.* 
Although  this  estimate  of  the  French  forces  was  greatly 
exaggerated,  yet  resistance  was  of  course  hopeless,  and  the 
garrison  surrendered,   being  allowed  to  retain  their  arms 
and  tools.     The  fort  waa  forthwith  occupied  by  Contrecoeur, 
completed  and  fortified  with  the   cannon  he  had  brought 
with  him,  and  named  in  honor  of  the  Canadian  governor. 
Fort  Du  Quesne.  *    This  was  the  beginning  of  the  war.  * 
On  the  reception  of  this  news  Washington  halted,  and 
sent  back  expresses  to  the  governors  of  Virginia  and  Penn- 
sylvania, informing  them  of  his  critical  situation,  and 
urging  them  to  hasten  forward  reinforcements.    At  the 
same  time  he  called  a  council  of  war,  in  which,  after  con- 
sidering the  evils  that  would  result  from  the  raw  and  undis- 
ciplined troops  being  left  in  idleness,  it  was  determined  to 
push  forward  at  once  to  the  confluence  of  the  Red  Stona 
creek  and  Monogahela,  and  employ  the  men  in  erecting  a 
fortification  at  that  place.    While  Washington,  with  his 
men,  was  preparing  to  cross  the  Youghiogeny  by  construct- 
ing a  bridge  over  that  river,  a   belt  of  wampum  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  May  reached  him  from  the  Half  King. 
"Be  on  your  guard,"  said  the   belt,  "the  French  army 
intend  to  strike  the  first  English  whom  they  ahall  see.'' 
Another  report,  the  same  day,   confirmed  this  warning, 
with  the  additional  intelligence  that  the  French  were  only 
eighteen  miles  distant.    Being  ignorant  of  their  stiength 
or  of  their  movements,  Washington  fell  back  to  the  Great 
Meadows,  threw  up  entrenchments,  and  cutting  away  the 
underbrush,  prepared,  to  use  his  own  language,  "  a  charm- 
ing field  for  an  encounter."     Scouts,  mounted  upon  wagon 
horses,  were  at  the  same  time  sent  out  to  reconnoitre,  but 
they  returned  without  discovering  any  signs  of  the  enemy. 

>  Manuscript  lettei' :  Waehington  to  Oovernor  HamiUon  of  FeunsylTania. 

»Now  Pittaburg. 

'Sparks. 


,(irf»^ 


-"»»l.^ 


448 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BAHT. 


CHAP.  On  tlie  twenty-seventh  Gist  amved  from  "Wills  creek,  and 
w^<_/ reported  that  a  party  of  fifty  French  had  visited  thatsottle- 
1754.  nient  the  day  previous,  and  that  he  had  himself  seen  their 
trail  within  five  miles  of  the  Great  Meadows.     In  the  eve- 
ning of  the  same  day,  another  express  arrived  from  the 
Half  King,  who,  with  a  party  of  his  wamors  was  about 
six  miles  distant,  to  the  effect  that  an  armed  hody  of  the 
French  were  skulking  in  the  vicinity  of  his  camp.    Wash- 
ington at  once  took  forty  men,   and  pushing  out  into  the 
night,  black  with  wind  and  tempest,  and  stumbling  through 
windfalls  and  over  sharp  rocks,  reached  the  camp  of  the 
Half  King  a  little  whilfe  before  day.     A  council  was  imme- 
diately held,  and  two  Indians  having  discovered  the  position 
of  the  enemy  in  a  rocky  ravine,  it  was  determined  at  once 
to  attack.     Marching  in  single  file  with  the  troops  on  the 
right  and  the  Indians  on  the  lett,  they  came  suddenly  upon 
the  French,  though  not  so  quickly,  but  that  they  had  time 
to  seize  their  arms.     Both  parties  fired  simultaneously,  and 
a  brisk  action  ensued,  which,  lasting  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  resulted  in  the  complete  discomfiture  of  the  enemj', 
whose  commander,  M.  De  Jumonville,  and  ten  of  liis  men 
were  killed,  and  twenty-two  taken  prisoners. 

Colonel  Fry  dying  suddenly  two  days  afterward  at  Pat- 
terson's creek,  as  he  was  hastoning  forward  to  unite  his 
forces  with  the  advance,  the  entire  command  devolved 
upon  Colonel  Washington.  Fearing  that  so  soon  as  the 
news  of  De  Jumonville's  defeat  reached  the  main  body  of 
the  French,  a  large  force  would  be  sent  out  to  meet  him, 
he  set  his  men  to  building  a  stockaded  fort  at  the  Great 
Meadows,  which  was  appropriately  called  Fort  Necessity. 
Several  companies  from  South  Carolina  '  arriving  at  this 
time,  serious  difliculty  arose  between  the  commander  of 
the  South  Carolina  troops  and  "Washington,  in  relation  to 
rank,  and  the  latter  to  avoid  altercation,  ordered  his  own 
men  to  advance  with  the  intention  of  investing  Fort 
Du  Quesne.  Scarcely,  however,  had  he  advanced  thirteen 
miles,  when  intelligence  was  received  through  Indian  run- 


Is  creek,  and 
id  that  scttlo- 
slf  seen  their 
In  the  eve- 
ed  from  the 
•s  was  about 
1  body  of  the 
amp.    "Wash- 
cut  into  the 
bling  through 
3  camp  of  the 
icil  was  imme- 
ed  the  position 
•rained  at  once 
troops  on  the 
suddenly  upon 
thoy  had  time 
Itaueously,  and 
I  quarter  of  an 
of  the  enemy, 
;en  of  his  men 

;ei'ward  at  Pat- 
ird  to  unite  his 
nand   devolved 
80  soon  as  the 
e  main  body  of 
it  to  meet  him, 
■t  at  the  Great 
Fort  Necessity. 
arriving  at  this 
commander  of 
11,  in  relation  to 
rdercd  his  own 
investing  fort 
Ivanced  thirteen 
,ugh  Indian  run- 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 

ners,  that  Fort  Du  Quesne  had  been  largely  reinforced  by 
troops  from  Canada,  and  that  a  large  force  of  French  and 
Indians  were  on  their  way  to  avenge  the  death  of 
Jumonville.  On  the  receipt  of  this  intelligence,  "Wash- 
ington immediately  fell  back  to  Fort  Necessity,  and  began 
a  moat  around  the  stockade.  Hardly  had  the  hastily  con- 
structed works  been  made  at  all  tenuutable,  when  Dq  Vil- 
liera,  at  the  head  of  six  hundred  French  and  one  hundred 
Indians,  appeared  in  sight,  and  took  possession  of  one  of 
the  eminences  by  which  the  fort  was  encompassed,  A  brisk 
fire  of  small  arms  was  kept  up  by  the  French  from  behind 
treee,  which  was  feebly  returned  by  the  men  in  the  fort, 
owing  to  the  rain  which  fell  heavily  having  filled  the 
trenches  with  water,  and  disabled  many  of  their  muskets, 
already  sadly  out  of  repair.  The  firing  began  at  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  lasted  until  eight  in  the  eve^ 
ning,  when  De  Villiers,  fearing  his  ammuaition  would  giv9 
out,  sounded  a  parley,  and  sent  into  the  garrison  terms  of 
capitulation.  These  terms,  being  interpreted  to  Wa»hingr 
ton,  were  accepted ;  and  the  next  morning,  on  the  fourth 
of  July,  the  garrison,  taking  with  them  everything  but 
their  artilleiy,  marched  out  of  the  fort,  with  colors  flying 
and  drums  beating. 

Thus  were  the  French  left  in  undisputed  possession  of 
the  basin  of  the  Ohio ;  and  the  evening  guns,  from  the 
waters  of  Lake  Erie  to  the  Delta  of  the  Mississippi,  saluted 
the  lillies  of  France,  which  now  waved  proudly  in  th^  eve- 
ning breeze. 

67 


449 


CHAP. 
XIU. 

1764. 


— ■«K-. 


*#•• 


I'. 


CHAP. 
XIV. 

1764. 


CHAPTER  XIT 

While  Wutiliington  was  engaged  in  erecting  his  rude 
little  fortress  at  the  Great  Meadows,  an  event  of  far  greater' 
moment  was  occurring  at  Albany.  This  was  no  less  than 
a  congress  of  commissioners  from  seven  of  the  colonies, 
for  the  purpose  of  treating  with  the  Six  Nations,  and 
uniting  upon  a  plan  of  union  for  resisting  the  common 
enemy. 

The  letter  from  the  earl  of  Holdemesse,  advising  that  the 
colonies  should  "  repel  force  by  force,"  had  first  directed 
attention  to  the  importance  of  concerted  action  in  resisting 
French  aggressions ;  and  the  reception,  in  the  spring  of 
this  year,  of  letters  from  the  lords  of  trade  to  the  different 
colonial  governors,  directing  that  commissioners  should  be 
appointed  to  assemble  at  Albany — there  to  devise  concerted 
action  against  the  French — hastened  the  carrying  out  of 
this  project.  The  object  of  this  congress  had  been  at  first, 
uothiiig  more  than  to  conciliate  the  Six  Nations,  and  pre- 
vent them  from  going  over  to  the  interest  of  the  French. ' 
Governor  Shirley,  however,  had  conceived,  early  in  r •  is 
year,  a  general  union  of  all  the  colonies  for  mutual  pr  ■ 
tection,  and  had  taken  the  opportunity  presented  b;,  this 
meeting,  to  suggest  to  the  dift'erent  governors  that  the  del- 
egates to  the  convention  should  be  instructed  by  their  con- 
stituents to  mature  a  plan  for  a  general  union.  * 

The  day  appointed  for  the  meeting  of  the  commissioners 
was  the  fourteenth  day  of  June,  but  they  did  not  alluu'ive 
until  the  nineteenth.'    The  colonies  of  New  Hampshire, 

'  Sparks.     Governor  De  Lanoey  to  the  lords  of  trade. 
*  Holmes.     Grahame.     Shirley  to  Holdemesse  January  7,  1754. 
>The  commissioners  from  the  several  colonies  were  James  De  Lancev. 
Joseph  Murray,  William  Johnson,   John  Chambers  and  William  Smith— 


rt 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


451 


ting  Tiis  rude 
of  far  greater- 
IS  no  less  than 
;'  the  colonies, 
Nations,  and 
'  tbe  common 

Ivisingthattbe 
,d  first  directed 
tion  in  resisting 

the  spring  of 
J  to  the  different 
lioners  should  1)6 
devise  concerted 

carrying  out  of 
had  been  at  first, 

ations,  and  pro- 
of the  French.' 
■d,  early  innis 
for  mutual  pr- 
j-esented  V,  tliis 
norsthatthe  del- 
eted by  their  con- 

nion.  '^ 

le  commissioners 
did  not  all ui rive 
New  Hampshire, 


,uary  7,  1764. 
lere  James  DeLancey. 
aud  William  Smitl'- 


Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,    New  York,  chap. 

XIV. 

Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  were  all  represented,  making  v-.^—' 
the  whole  number  of  delegates  present  twenty-five.    Early  ^''^*' 
in  March,  the  governor  of  Virginia  had  written  Mr.  De 
Lancey  that  ho  was  too  much  engaged  in  the  military  pre- 
parations necessary  to  repel  encroachments  along  his  own 
frontier,'  to  bo  present  atthis  time ;  and  the  Carolinas  were 
also  too  much  occupied  in  treating  with  their  own  south- 
ern tribes,  to  give  the  treaty  at  Albany  their  attention. 
The  sachems  of  the  Six  Nations,  were  stiil  more  backward, 
not  making  their  appearance  till  the  latter  part  of  the 
month.    The  Mohawks  were  the  last  to  arrive,  and,  indeed, 
the  entire  number  of  Indians  present  during  the  whole 
of  the  treaty  did  not  exceed  one  hundred   and  fifty. 
There  were  those  who  did  not  scruple  to  attribute  their 
delay  to  the  influence  of  Johnson,  who,  they  said,  wishing 
to  magnify  his  influence  over  the  Indian  3,  purposely  hold 
them  back ;    and  writers,  who  should  have  been  better 
informed,  have  not  failed    to   give  countenance  to  this 
report.*    The  truth  is,  thai,  the  Indian  commissioners  felt 
piqued  at  the  contrast  presented  between  the  reluctance 
shewn  by  the  Indians  in  coming  to  this  coui.cil,  and  the 
alacrity  vsnith  which  they  had  attended  the  one  held  in 
1748,  when  Johnson  had  the  charge  of  their  affairs,  and 
prompted  by  jealousy,  threw   out  these  insinuations,  as 
false  as  they  were  malicious.     Hendrik  explained  the 
delay,  so  far  as  the  Mohawks  were  concerned,  by  stating 
that  the  speech  of  Colonel  Johnson  at  the  Onondaga  cas- 
tle the  preceding  summer,  had  been  attributed  by  the  Six 

New  York.  Samuel  Welles,  John  Chandler,  T.'.omas  Hutchinson,  Oliver 
Patridge,  John  Worthington — Massachusetts.  Theodore  Atkinson,  Richard 
Wibird,  Meshech  Weare,  Henry  Sherburne — New  Hampshire.  William  Pit- 
kin, Roger  V/olcott,  Elisha  Williau.-— Connecticut.  Stephen  Hopkins, 
Martin  Howard — Rhode  Island.  John  Penn,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Richard 
Peters,  Isaac  Norris — Pennsylvania.  Benjamin  Tasker,  Beigamin  Barnes 
—Maryland. 

'  Manuscript  council  minutes. 

'  Messrs  Livingston  and  Smith. 


v**N 


451 


LTfR   OP  Bin  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART* 


4f, 


OHAF.  Nations  to  theMohuwka;  and  thereforo  lest  they  should 
v_^_^  be  accused  of  the  same  in   relation  to  tho  governor's 
1764.  apoech,  they  tarried  until  the  other  castlcB  aliould  buvo 
arrived  before  them.     Tho  true  cause,  however,  of  tho 
reluctance  displayed  by  tho  Indians  in  coining  to  t\x\y 
treaty,  and  tho  ibwness  of  their  number  was,  that  tliec(<u- 
tinuai  rebuffs  which  they  liad  mot  with  in  their  otxl'  '- 
vours  to  obtain  aHsistanco  from  the  colony  for  the  i«l 
of  their  castles,  diflcourrtgcd  tliom  from  any  favthei      Hi 
to  obtain  rodress.     Tho  council,  held  at  Onondaga  < 
vioufl  year  by  Colonel  Johnson,  although  it  had  41, 
had  not  satisfied  thom.    They  still  felt  soro  from  tlio  ini| 
eition  to  which  they  hud  been  sulyected  in  tho  saloH  oi 
their  land.    Many  of  thom,-— especially  the  8enecaH— wcro 
absolutely  in  a  starving  condition,  caused  by  their  having 
abstained,  at  the  request  of  the  English^  from  their  annual 
hunts  }*  and  numbers  of  the  Onondagas  and  Cayugas  had 
already  gone  to  Oswe^ntchie  and  taken  np  their  abode 
at  that  mission,  finding  there  plenty  to  eat  and  ample  pro- 
tection Under  the  guns  of  the  fort  for  themeolvos  and  fami- 
lies.   Indeed,  the  wonder  is,  considering  these  untoward 
circumBtattcOB,  that  so  many  of  the  Confederates  were 
present ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  tho  influence  of  llendrik 
-Hltill,  through  his  affection  for  Colonel  Johnson,  tho  fast 
friend  of  tho  Engli8h,-»-scarcely  any  castle  of  tho  Six 
Nations  would  have  boon  represented. 

The  flfst  foW  days  were  occupied  by  the  commissioners 
in  consulting  upon  the  principal  topics  to  be  presented 
to  the  Indians,  and  in  listening  to  several  chiefs  of  the 
lesser  castles  in  relation  to  tho  fraudulent  surveys  of  tlieir 
land.  On  the  twenty-ninth,  Mr.  Do  Lancey, — who  being 
the  only  governor  present  had  been  called  to  the  chair- 
opened  the  treaty  with  a  general  speech  which  was  inter- 
preted to  the  Indians  by  Myndert  Schuyler.  In  his  speech, 
the  lieutenant  governor  stated  to  the  Confederates,  that 
they  had  been  invited  hither  to  receive  the  presents  sent  by 

>  Manusoript  council  miautea. 


LIFE   OP  Bin   WILLIAM  .'OlINSON,   BART. 


4>& 


the  kin;?,  their  fathor,  and  renew  the  ancient  treaty  mado'-iAP. 
bctwcon  all  the  eolonioH  and  their  own  nation  ;  and  that  >—>„—' 
all  the  colonics  liad  nnitod  in  BendinjL?  comniiH«ion«^r8  lor  *"**• 
this  purpose  except  Vir<?initt  and  the  CarolinaH,  who 
though  detained  by  the  importance  of  their  own  atlUirs  at 
home,  novorthelcflH  wished  to  bo  eouHidored  by  them  aa 
pn  -ont.  "  Wo  come,"  ho  said  "to  strengthen  and  brighten 
tho  chain  of  friend^^hip,"  and,  r  ;;■  inucd  ho,  at  the  Hamo 
tinu' handing  Ilendrik  the  chn:  '  !,  "this  chain  hath 
remained  firm  and  uid)roken  iroUi  >\n  beginning.  This 
belt  will  represent  to  you  our  disposition  to  preserve  it 
strong  and  bright,  so  long  as  the  sun  and  moon  shall 
endure ;  and  in  the  name  of  the  great  king  our  father,  and  in 
behalf  of  all  his  mnjcHty's  colonies,  wo  now  solemnly 
renew,  brighten,  and  strengthen  the  ancient  covenant 
chain,  and  promise  to  keep  the  same  inviolable  and  free 
trom  rust ;  and  we  expect  the  like  confirmation  and  assur- 
ance on  your  part."  The  scattered  manner,  in  which, 
departing  from  their  ancient  custom,  the  Confederates  for 
the  last  few  years  had  lived,  was  then  adverted  to ;  and 
they  were  specially  urged  to  live  together  in  their  castles, 
and  to  call  back  those  of  their  Onondaga  and  Cayuga 
brethren  who  had  removed  to  Oswegatchie  in  defiance  of  the 
ancient  covenant.  "  The  French  profess  to  be  in  perfect 
friendship  with  us  as  well  as  you.  Notwithstanding  this 
they  are  making  continual  encroachments  upon  us  both. 
They  have  lately  done  so  in  the  most  insulting  manner, 
both  to  the  northward  and  westward.  Your  fathers,  by 
their  valor  above  one  hundred  yeor^  ago,  gained  a  consid- 
erable country  which  they  afberwaiaa,  of  their  own  accord, 
put  under  the  protection  of  the  kings  of  Great  Britain. 
The  French  are  endeavoring  to  possess  themselves  of  the 
whole  country,  although  they  have  made  the  most  express 
treaties  with  the  English  to  the  contrary.  It  appears  to  us 
that  these  measures  of  the  French  must  necessarily  soon 
interrupt  and  destroy  all  trade  and  intercourse  between  the 
English  and  the  several  Indian  nations  on  the  continent, 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


kills 

■^     MIA 


2.5 


1.4 


1.6 


V] 


vl 


% 


> 


/: 


^^  ;> 


/^ 


:?> 


'/ 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


13  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  M5B0 

(716)  872-4503 


?^^. 


m 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


t"   "5^ 


I'     '*■   ' 


ewAP.  and  will  block  up  and  obstruct  the  great  roads,  which  have 
N-yw  hitherto  been  open,  between  you   and  your  allies  and 
1764.  friends  who  live  at  a  distance.    "We  want,  therefore,  to 
know  whether  these  things  appear  to  you  in  the  same 
light  as  they  do  to  us,  or  whether  the  French,  taking  pos- 
session of  the  lands  in  your  country,  and  building  forts 
between  the  lake  Erie  and  the  river  Ohio,  be  done  with 
your  consentor  approbation."    "  Therefore,"  he  concluded, 
^*>open  yr>ur  hearts  to  us,  and  deal  with  us  as  brethren." 
'  Three  days  afterward,  the  lieutenant  governor  attended 
by  all  the  commissioners,  in  behalf  of  his  majesty  and  the 
several  colonies,  met  the  Indians  in  the  court  house  to 
hear  their  reply.    As  soon  as  they  were  seated,  the  sachems 
of  the  Six  Nations,  glittering  with  ornaments  and  clothed 
in  their  richest  robes  and  feathers,  came  in  and  seated 
themselves  with  all  the  pomp  of  Indian  ceremonial.    Then 
amid  a  deep  silence,  Abraham,  a  sachem  of  the  upper  can- 
tie  of  the  Mohawks  and  a  brother  of  Xing  Hendrik,  rose 
and  said : — "  Brethren,  you  the  governor  of  New  York, 
and  the  commissioners  of  the  other  governments,  are  you 
ready  to  hear  us  ?"     The  governor  having  replied  in  the 
affirmative.  King  Hendrik,  venerable  in  years,  rose  and 
with  all  the  dignity  which  his  white  hairs  and  majestic 
mien  gave  him,  holding  up  the  chain  belt  to  the  gaze  of  all, 
advanced  a  few  steps,  and  thus  spoke : 

'^Brethren :  "We  return  you  all  our  grateful  acknowledge- 
ments for  renewing  and  brightening  the  covenant  chain. 
This  chain  belt  is  of  very  great  importance  to  our  united 
nations,  and  all  our  allies.  We  will  therefore  take  it  to 
Onondaga,  where  our  council  fire  always  burns,  and 
keep  it — so  securely,  that  neither  thunder  nor  lightning 
shall  break  it.  There  will  we  consult  over  it ;  and  as  we 
have  already  added  two  links  to  it,  so  we  will  use  our 
endeavors  to  add  as  many  more  links  to  it  as  lies  in  our 
power  ;*    *     *    In  the  meantime  we  desire  that  you  will 


>  The  allusion  is  to  two  small  Indian  tribes  which  the  Six  Nations  had 
lately  taken  into  the  Confederation.    ''    '    ■'      '    '   '  ••'  "'•- 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


455 


Six  Nations  had 


strengthen  yourselves,  and  bring  as  many  in^  this  coye-  chap. 
nant  chain  as  you  possibly  can.      ■xH'^xo  irin  a  .h>:uisi  dty-i.  f  •  v-^ 

"  Brethren :  As  to  the  accounts  you  have  heard  of  our  i'^*- 
living  dispersed  from  each  other,  'tis  very  true.  We  have 
several  times  endeavored  to  draw  off  these  our  brethren 
who  were  settled  at  Oswegatchie ;  but  in  vain,  for  the 
governor  of  Canada  is  like  a  wicked  deluding  spirit. 
However,  as  you  desire,  we  shall  persist  in  our  endeavors." 
Then  burning  with  indignation,  as  he  recalled  the  long 
neglect  with  which  his  services  had  been  rewarded  by  the 
English — ^his  eyes  flashing,  and  his  whole  frame  quivep- 
ing  with  the  honest  anger,  which  had  so  long  been 
pent  up  within  him — ^he  exclaimed  "  You  have  asked  us 
the  reason  of  our  living  in  this  dispersed  manner.  The 
reason  is  your  neglecting  us  for  three  years  past''  Then 
taking  a  stick  and  throwing  it  behind  him — "  you  have 
thus  thrown  us  behind  your  backs  and  disregarded  us ; 
whereas  the  French  are  a  subtile  and  vigilant  people,  ever 
using  their  utmost  endeavors  to  reduce  and  bring  our  peo- 
ple over  to  them.    *    *    * 

"  This  is  the  ancient  place  of  treaty,  where  the  fire  of 
friendship  alway  j  used  to  bum ;  and  'tis  now  three  years 
since  we  have  been  called  to  any  public  treaty  here.  'Tis 
true  tl^re  are  commissioners  here,  but  they  have  never 
invited  us  to  smoke  with  them.*  But  the  Indians  of 
Canada  come  frequently  and  smoke  here,  which  is  for  the 
sake  of  their  beaver.  But  we  hate  them.  "We  have 
not  as  yet  confirmed  the  peace  with  them,  'Tis  your  fault, 
brethren,  that  we  are  not  strengthened  by  conquest;  for 
we  would  have  gone  and  taken  Crown  Point,  but  you  hin- 
dered us.  "We  had  concluded  to  go  and  take  it,  but  we 
were  told  that  it  was  too  late  and  that  the  ice  would  not 
bear  us.  Instead  of  this,  you  burnt  your  own  fort  at  Sara- 
toga, and  ran  away  from  it,  which  was  a  shame  and  a  scan- 
dal to  you !"  Then  again  kindling  as  he  thought  of  the 
Bhameful  remissness,  which  had  left  their  own  castles 

^Ihat  is— have  neT«r  iuTittd  us  to  any  oonferenoe. 


■c," 


456 


LIFB  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


1764. 


OHAP.  defonceless,  he  coiicludwd  in  the  same  scathing  language. 
^  "  Look  about  your  countiy,  and  see,  you  have  no  fortifi. 
■  cations  about  you ;  no,  not  even  to  this  city !  Look  at  the 
French  ;  they  are  men  ;  they  are  fortifying  every  where ! 
But,  we  are  ashamed  to  say  it,  you  are  aU  like  WQW^th&re 
and  open,  without  any  fortifications !"  r.-f.*  .>  -  «^m  -i! 
.  Thus  closed  one  of  the  most  eloquent  Indian  speeches 
ever  uttered.  A  speech,  which  for  its  truth,  vigor,  and 
biting  sarcasm,  has  never  been  equaled  by  any  Indian 
orator — scarcely  excelled  by  one  of  any  other  race— and 
which,  "  containing  strains  of  eloquence  which  might  have 
done  honor  to  TuUy  or  Demosthenes,"'  will  ever  stand 
among  the  finest  passages  of  rhetoric  in  either  Ancient  oi- 
modern  history.*     ;  »^fHih  dhUiV  ^jniviSiw..  "to  ui-ji-i'r  jfi: 

As  soon  as  Hendrik  had  ended,  his  brother  Abraham, 
rising  up,  spoke : 

*^  Brethren:  We  would  let  you  know  what  Ta,s  our 
desire  three  years  ago,  when  Colonel  Johnson  laid  down 
the  management  of  Indian  afiairs,  which  gave  m  great 
uneasiness.  The  governor  then  told  us,  it  was  not  in  bia 
power  to  continue,  him  but  that  he  would  consult  the  oouu. 
oil  at  JSew  York :  that  he  was  going  over  to  England,  aud 
promired  to  reccommend  our  desire,  that  Colonel  Johnson 
should  have  the  mana^,  ^t  of  Indian  afiairs,  to  tl^  king, 
that  the  governor  migL  .*ve  power  to  reinstate  him.  We 
long  waited  in  the  expectation  of  th;s  being  done ;  but 
hearing  no  more  of  it,  we  embrace  this  opportunity  of  lay- 
ing this  belt  before  all  our  brethren  here  present,  and 
desire  them,  that  Colonel  Johnson  may  be  reinstated 
and  have  the  management  of  Indian  affairs  ;  for  we  all 

■»■■■     ^  F»  "■■■■■  ^'i  —  ^  "■  ■       ■!  I   lip  ■    II  ■■  iw    I  ^    ■    1 1  I    .  -^^^^  iw^  ■!  ■■  I  m<"  ■■T- 

.  ^Oentleman's  Magazine;  referring  to  this  speech. 

*  This  is  not  empty  panegyric.  In  a  manuscript  letter  befire  me  written 
by  Oovernor  Shirley  to  Hendrik,  through  Colonel  Johnun,  Oovernor  S. 
expressea  himself  in  terms  of  the  warmest  ii4niratioii  for  Ben<}rik  botb  as 
»•  orator  and  as  a  man;  thanks  him  for  his  speech  at  Albany;  and  promi- 
sea  to  recommend  him  to  his  majesty  as  the  warm  friend  and  fast  ally  of 
the  English.  Qovernor  LivingBtoo  alluding  to  this  speech  also  speaks  of 
Hendrik  as  a  "  consummate  orator." —  Vide  Lift  of  Livmgaion  by  StdgM>i(k,  68. 


IT. 

bing  language, 
have  no  fortifi- 
y !  Look  ftt  the 
r  eveiy  where! 
like  icowew,  hare 


LIPB  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOBHSON,  BART. 


45T 


jidiau  speeches 
truth,  vigor,  and 

hy  any  Indian 
other  race— and 
rhich  might  have 

will  ever  etand 
jither  ancient  or 

M?ther  Abraham, 

V  what  ^^'ii5  our 
hnaon  laid  down 
ih  gave  u3  great 
itwaenot  in  bis 
ooneult  the  ooun. 
ir  to  England,  and 
Colonel  Johnson 
ffairs,  to  ticking, 
dnstate  him.  We 
jeing  done;  but 
pportunityof  lay- 
lere  present,  and 
ay   be  reinstated 
nffidrB  ;  for  we  all 


letter  before  me  written 
.  JoluMua,  GoTernor  S. 
0ftforBe»4rikboUia8 
it,  Albany ;  and  promi- 
•iend  and  fast  ally  of 
I  speech  also  speaks  of 


lived  happy  whilst  they  were  under  his  management,  for  oiiap' 
we  love  him,  and  he  us,  and  he  has  always  been  our  good  wy^ 
and  trusty  friend."    Then  before  he  sat  down,  he  added  ^'*** 
with  significant  irony : — "Brethren: — I  forgot  something. 
"We  think  our  request  about  Colonel  Johnson,  which 
Governor  Clinton  promised  to  convey  to  the  king  oui* 
father,  is  drowned  in  the  sea."    Then  turning  himself 
around  and  facing  the  New  York  commissioners  for  Indian 
afiairs,  he  closed  by  telling  them  that  the  fire  at  Albany 
was  burned  out,  and  requesting  that  they  would  take 
notice  of  what  he  said.  •  -  ■--' 

These  speeches,  as  exponents  of  the  stftte  of  feeling' 
existing  among  the  Confederates,  were    considered  so 
important,  as  to  cause  them  to  be  debated,  by  the  com- 
missioners, paragraph  by  paragraph ;  and  the  same  com- 
mittee— ^which  had  drafted  the  opening   speech  of  the 
lieutenant  governor  upon  the  nineteenth,  was  requested  to 
prepare  a  suitable  answer  to  these  also.^    On  the  third  of 
July  the  draft  of  the  answer  was  submitted  to  the  board 
of  commissioners  by  Colonel  Johnson,  as  chairman,  and 
the  answer  was  submitted  to  the  board  of  commissioners; 
being  approved,  it  was  delivered  to  the  Indians,  by  Mr. 
De  Lancey  on  the  fourth.    Its  tone  was  eminently  kind 
and  conciliatory.    In  it,  the  lieutenant  governor  expressed 
the  gratification  which  it  afibrded  all  present,  to  learn 
of  their  good  intentions,  and  know  that  it  was  not  with 
their  countenance  that  the  French  had  entered  upon  the 
Ohio,  and  their  lands.    Some  of  the  information,  more- 
over, which  they  had  communicated  in  their  speech,  was 
to  himself  and  the  commissioners  not  a  little  surprising. 
Although,  he  said,  he  had  known  for  the  past  five  years, 
of  the  encroachments  of  the  French,  yet  it  was  only  lately, 
that  he  Was  aware  that  they  had  been  building  forts  for  the 
protection  of  themselves  and  the  Indians.    "  It  is  fortu- 

'This  Gommittee  consisted  of  William  Johnson,  Samuel  Welles,  Theo- 
dore Atkinson,  ^lisha  Williams,  Martin  Howard  Jr.,  Isaac  N'orris,  an4 
Bei^amin  Tasker  Jr. 

&8 


-    > .    ''          ' ' ' 

■      ^i      \ 

'^ 

i  'V        * 

458 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


F^^i 


r  /"-if        f 


<WAP.  nate"  he  added,  "  that  Mr.  "Weiser,  who  transacts  the  pub- 
Wy— 'lie    business  of  Virginia  and    Pennsylvania  with  your 
1764.  nations,  and  ia  one  of  your  council,  and  knows  these  mat- 
ters well,  is  now  present.    Hear  the  account  he  gives,  and 
this  will  set  the  matter  in  a  true  light."    Conrad  Weiser 
was  here  introduced,  and  a  brief  sketch  of  the  French 
encroachments  on  tfee  Ohio,  was  given  by  him  to  the 
Indians.  Mr.  De  Lancey  then  continued — ^As  to  their  dis- 
satisfaction at  the  resignation  of  Colonel  Johnson,  he  was 
sensible  that  while  he  had  the  manageipent  of  their  aflairs 
they  all  lived  happily  and  contentedly,  but  as  Albany  was 
the  place  where  the  ancient  council  fire  was  kindled,  which 
was  now  almost  extinguished,  and  as  Colonel  Johnson  still 
declined  aoting,  he  had  thought  proper  to  rekindle  the 
fire  by  appointing  commissioners.    "  These"  said  he,  "I 
shall  direct  to  receive  and  consult  with  you  upon  all  busi- 
ness that  may  concern  our  mutual  interests;  and  I  expect 
that  you  will  for  the  fjiture,  according  to  the  custom  of 
your  forefathers,  apply    to  them.    I  shall    give 'them 
directions  that  they  treat  you  with  tjie  affection  due  to  you 
as  brethren.    I  shall  therefore  make  trial  of  them  another 
year ;  and  if  you  do  not  meet  with  the  kind  treatment 
you  have  a  right  to  expect,  complain  to  this  government, 
and  effectual  measures  shall  be  taken  for  your  satisfaction." 
Mr.  Kellogg,  the  interpreter  from  Massachusetts  Bay, 
then  closed  the  conference  for  the  day,  by  telling  the 
Indians  of  several  forts  which  the  French  were  erecting 
on  the  Kenebec  and  Connecticut  rivers,  and  also  of  some 
depredations  lately  committed  in  the  colony  of  New  5amp- 
shire,  by  a  party  of  the  St.  Francis  Indians. 

While  the  congress  was  sitting,  Colonel  Johnson,  at  the 
request  of  the  commissioners,  submitted  a  paper,  contam- 
ing  his  views  on  the  management  of  the  Six  Nations,  and 
the  best  method  of  defeating  the  designs  of  the  French 
upon  the  Confederates.  The  suggestions  were  considered 
so  judicious,  as  to  lead  the  congress  to  vote  that  Mr.  Frank- 
lin should  be  desired  to  give  the  thanks  of  the  board  to 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


459 


Colonel  JohnBon,  and  request  him  to  allow  a  copy  to  be  chmp. 
taken  by  the  commissionerB  of  each  colony  for  the  con-v.^ 
Bideration  of  their  respective  governments.  lUL. 

The  chief  measures  urged  by  the  colonel  were,  that  gar- 
risons  should  be  established  immediately  in  the  most  com- 
modious situations  among  the  Six  Nations,  from  which  the 
Indians  should  be  supplied  with  food,  until  their  own  lands 
could  be  so  protected  as  to  furnish  them  with  the  means 
of  subsistence.    The  French,  moreover,  obtained  much  of 
their  influence  over  the  Indians  by  having  large  stores  of 
clothing  and  other  necessaries  for  them  at  their  diflferent 
forts;  and  such  kind  of  encouragement  should  likewise  be 
extended  by  the  English  at  Oswego,  and  at  any  other  posts 
or  trading  houses  that  might  hereafter  be  built  in  the  Indian 
country.    A  strict  look  out  at  Oswego  and  at  other  points 
was  recommended,  to  hinder  the  French  from  tampering 
with  the  Confederates ;  and  military  officers,  he  thought, 
should  reside  at  each  castle,  and  keep  the  government  well 
advised  of  every  occurrence.    The  building  of  a  fort,  also, 
at  the  Onondaga  castle,  properly  garrisoned,  was  strongly 
urged,  where  should  be  stationed  a  missionary  and  a  smith 
to  ret)air  their  arms  and  utensils.    The  colonel,  moreover, 
respectfully  suggested,  that  young  men  well  versed  in 
grammar  should  reside  among  the  Onondagas,  Senecasand 
Mohawks,  in  order  that  they  might  become  good  inter- 
preters in  every  dialect — a  thing  much  needed.    Finally 
the  Six  Nations  should  be  reminded  of  their  promise  to 
extend  the  covenant  chain  to  Detroit  unless  hindered  by 
the  French ;  consequently,  if  the  latter  were  removed, 
there  would  be  nothing  in  the  way  of  the  iulfilment  of 
their  agreement.    This,  the  colonel  thought,  might  "  serve 
to  Bhow  them  the  early  and  contrived  encroachments  of 
the  French."     These  suggestions  were  considered  so  val- 
uable, that  Mr.  De  Lancey  forwarded  a  copy  of  them  to 
the  board  of  trade,  recommending  their  adoption. 

Several  more  days  were  occupied  in  hearing  and  answer- 
ing speeches  from  the  Six  Nations,  the  Schaticook  and 


.(■■ ' 


i:    I. 

'<  ; 

]■ 

■1 


460 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


|: 

'*]ff    " 

^il'r 

*^« 

1' 

% 

'.'V 

>  ' 

0. 

" 

(^^<  Eiver  Indians ;  and  on  the  eleventh,  the  Confederates, 
S.V— 'having  renewed  all  their  covenants,  and  sworn  uncom- 
1764.  promising  hostility  against  the  French,  were  dismissed 
seemingly  pleased  with  the  result  ^ 

The  Indians  were  not  allowed  to  depart  however,  until 
the  famous  purchase  from  them  of  the  Wyoming  lauds  was 
effected  ;*-an  account  of  the  origin  of  which,  from  the 
important  bearing  of  the  transaction  on  future  events, 
must  not  be  omitted.  ^:srim  .d-^\f>^^m^.'S>iin'*<ii'i<4>^:^'i'h. 
**  The  first  grants  of  land  in  America  by  the  crown  of 
Great  Britain,  were  made  with  a  lavishness  which  can  exist 
only  where  acquisitions  are  without  cost,  and  their  value 
unknown ;  and  with  a  want  of  provision  in  regard  to 
boundaries,  which  could  result  only  from  entire  ignorance 
of  the  country.     The  charters  of  the  great  western  and 
southern  Virginia  companies,  and  of  the  colonies  of  Mas* 
sachusetts  Bay  and  Connecticut,  were  of  this  liberal  and 
uncertain  character.    The  charter  of  the  Plymouth  com- 
pany covered  the  expanse  from  the  fortieth  to  the  forty- 
sixth  degree  of  northern  latitude,  extending  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  ocean." '    This  charter  was  granted 
by  King  James  I.^  under  the  great  seal  of  England,  in  the 
most  ample  manner,  on  the  third  of  November,  1620,  to 
the  duke  of  Lenox,  the  marquise  of  Buckingham,  the  earls 
of  Arundel  and  Warwick  and  their  associates,  "  for  the 
planting,  ruling,  ordering  and  governing  of  New  England 
in  America."    The  charter  of  Connecticut  was  derived 
from  the  Plymouth  company,  of  which  the  earl  of  War- 
wick was  president.    The  grant  was  made  in  March,  1621, 
to  Viscount  Say  and  Seal,  Lord  Brook,  and  their  associates. 

^Atthifl  congress,  a  present  from  the  king  was  distributed  to  the  Indians, 
"  of  much  greater  value  than  ever  before."  The  commissioners  from  Now 
Hampshire  viade  them  a  separate  present.  It  is  a  custom  among  the  Six 
Nations  to  give  a  name  to  their  benefactors  upon  such  occasions.  Tlie 
name  which  they  gave  to  the  province  of  New  Hampshire  was  So-S&guax- 
oiedne.  I  have  Inquired  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kirltland,  the  meaning  of  tliij 
name.  He  informed  me  that  So  signifies  again ;  SAgudx,  a  dish  ;  and  owdne 
large."    Again  a  large  dish.— jB«/ftna/».  ,    .,iij.j.,.,„)'j)  u-ii    .v.     ,; 

*  Qotdoxi' »  Hittory  of  Pmtuylvanioa. 


Lira  09  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


461 


It  was  made  in  the  most  ample  form,  and  also  covered  the  chapi 
country  west  of  Connecticut  to  the  extent  of  its  hreadth,  wv-' 
heing  ahout  one  degree  of  latitude  from  sea  to  sea. '    This  ^^^' 
grant  was  confirmed  by  the  king  in  the  course  of  the  same 
year,  and  again  in  1662.    Kew  York,  or  to  speak  more 
correctly  in  reference  to  that  period,  the  New  Netherlands, 
being  then  a  Dutch  possession,  could  not  be  claimed  as  a 
portion  of  these  munificent  grants,  if  for  no  other  reason, 
for  the  very  good  and  substantial  one,  that  in  the  grant  to 
the  Plymouth  company,  an  exception  was  made  of  all  such 
portions  of  the  territory  as  were  "  then  actually  possessed 
or  inhabited  by  any  other  Christian  province  or  state."    But 
the  round  phraseology  of  the  charters  opened  the  door 
sufficiently  wide  for  any  subsequent  claims,  within  the 
specified  parallels  of  latitude,  which  the  company,  or  its 
accessors,  might  find  it  either  convenient  or  politic  to  inter- 
pose.   And  it  appears  that  even  at  the  early  date  of  1651, 
some  of  the  people  of  Connecticut  were  already  casting 
longing  eyes  upon  a  section  of  the  valley  of  the  Delaware. 
It  was  represented  by  these  enterprising  men  that  they 
had  purchased  the  lands  in  question  from  the  Indians,  but 
that  the  Dutch  had  interposed  obstacles  to  their  settlement 
thereon.    In  reply  to  their  petition,  the  commissioners  of 
the  united  colonies  asserted,  their  right  to  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  territory  claimed  upo;i  the  Delaware,  and  the  valid- 
ity of  the  purchases  that  had  been  mac'    Sy  individuals. 
"They  protested  against  the  conduct  of  tie  Dutch,  and 
assured  the  petitioners  that  though  the  season  was  not 
meet  for  hostilities,  yet  if  within  twelve  months,  at  their 
own  charge,  they  should  transport  to  the  Delaware  one 
hundred  aimed  men,  vrtth  vessels  and  ammunition  approved 
by  the  magistrates  of  New  Haven,  and  should  be  opposed 

^  Trumbull's  Hittory  of  Connecticut.  Colonel  Timothy  Pickering,  in  his  let- 
ter to  his  son,  giving  the  particulars  of  the  highhanded  outrage  committed 
upon  him  in  Wyoming  in  1788,  in  speaking  of  these  grants,  remarks: — "It 
seems  natural  to  suppose  by  the  terms  of  these  grants,  extending  to  the 
western  ocean,  that  in  early  times  the  continent  was  conceived  to  be  of 
oompwratiyely  little  breadth." 


M\ 


462 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


1764. 


[I  ^ 

"'     J  - 

I 


CHAP*  by  the  Dutch,  they  should  be  assisted  by  as  many  soldiers 
« as  the  commissiouers  might  judge  meet;  the  lands  and 
trade  of  the  settlement  being  charged  with  the  expense, 
and  continuing  under  the  government  of  Kew  Haven."  ^ 
The  project,  however,  was  not  pressed  during  the  dosig> 
nated  period,  nor  indeed  does  it  seem  to  have  been  revived 
for  more  than  a  century  afterward.  Many  changes  of  polit- 
ical and  other  relations  had  occurred  during  this  long 
lapse  of  time.  Disputes  had  arisen  between  the  people  of 
Connecticut  and  the  New  Netherlands,  in  regard  to  bound- 
aries, which  had  been  a^usted  by  negotiation  and  com- 
promise. The  colony  of  the  New  Netherlands  had  moreover 
fallen,  by  the  fortunes  of  war,  under  the  sway  of  the  British 
crown.  The  colonies  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  had 
also  been  planted.  Various  additional  grants  had  been 
given  by  the  crown,  and  other  questions  of  territoritll  lim- 
its had  been  raised  and  adjusted.  But  in  none  of  these 
transactions  had  Connecticut  relinquished  her  claims  of 
jurisdiction,  and  the  preemption  right  to  the  lands  of  the 
Indians  lying  beyond  New  York,  and  north  of  the  fortieth 
degree  of  latitude,  as  defined  in  the  original  grant  to  the 
Plymouth  company.  The  grant  of  the  Plymouth  com- 
pany to  Lord  Say  and  Seal  and  Lord  Brook,  had  been  made 
fifty  years  before  the  grant  to  William  Penn,  and  the  con- 
formation of  that  grant  to  Connecticut  by  royal  charter, 
nineteen  years  prior  to  that  conveyance.* 

Unfortunately,  moreover,  from  the  laxity  that  prevailed 
among  the  advisers  of  the  crown,  in  the  granting  of  patents, 
as  to  boundaries,  the  patent  to  "William  Penn  covered  a 
portion  of  the  grant  to  Connecticut,  equal  to  one  degree 
of  latitude  and  five  of  longitude ;  and  within  this  territory, 
thus  covered  by  double  grants,  was  situated  the  section 

1  This  quotation  is  from  Oordon.  Colonel  Pickering,  in  the  letter  already 
cited  in  a  preceding  note,  addressed  to  his  son,  and  privately  printed  for 
the  use  of  his  own  family  only,  supposed  that  Connecticut  did  not  set  up 
any  formal  claim  to  lands  west  of  New  Tork  and  New  Jersey,  until  just 
prior  to  the  revolution.     He  was  in  error. 

•Trumbull.  A...Ui»  .:.- il:'- •'■ '-^^^ 


LItB  or  BIR  WILLIAM  JOHVSON,  BAST. 


468 


of  the  Delaware  county  heretofore  spoken  of;  as  also  the  chap. 
yet  richer  and  more  inviting  valley  of  Wyoming,  toward  v-^ 
which  Borae  of  the  more  restless,  if  not  enterprising  sons  ^"^• 
of  the  Pilgrims  were  already  turning  their  eyes  with  impa- 
tience. 

The  project  of  establishing  a  colony  in  "Wyoming  was 
started  by  sundry  individuals  in  Connecticut  in   1768, 
daring  which  year  an  association  was  formed  for  that  pur- 
pose called  the  Susquehanna  company,  and  a  number  of 
agents  were  commissioned  to  proceed  thither,  explore  the 
country,  and  conciliate  the  good  will  of  the  Indians.    This 
commission  was  executed ;  and  as  the  valley,  though  at 
that  time  in  the  occupancy  of  the  Delawares,  was  claimed 
by  the  Six  Nations,  a  purchase  from  that  Confederacy  was 
determined  upon.    To  this  end,  a  deputation  of  the  com- 
pany, the  associates  of  which  already  numberd  about  six 
hundred  persons,  embracing  many  gentlemen  of  wealth 
and  character,  was  directed  to  repair  to  this  Dresent  con- 
gress at  Albany,  and  if  possible  effect  tuo  purchase. 
Their  movements  were  not  invested  with  secresy,  and 
James  Hamilton,  the  goveiuor  of  Pennsylvania,  becoming 
acquainted  with  them,  was  not  slow  in  interposing  objec- 
tions to  the  procedure— claiming  the  lands  as  falling  within 
the  charter  of  Penn,  and  of  course  belonging,  the  preemp- 
tive right  at  least,  to  the  proprietaries  for  whom  he  was 
administering  the  government.    Hamilton  wrote  to  Go- 
vernor "Wolcott  upon  the  subject,  protesting  strongly  against 
the  designs  o  i  the  company.    To  this  letter  "Wolcott  replied, 
that  the  projectors  of  the  enterprise  supposed  the  lands  in 
question  were  not  comprised  within  the  grants  of  "William 
Penn ;  but  should  it  appear  that  they  were,  the  governor 
thought  there  would  be  no  disposition  to  quarrel  upon  the 
subject.    Governor  Hamilton  also  addressed  Colonel  John- 
son in  relation  to  the  matter,  praying  his  interposition  to 
prevent  the  Six  Nations  from  making  any  sales  to  the 
agents  of  the  Connecticut  company,  should  they  appear  at 
Alhany  for  that  purpose.  , ,:  ,     ^    ,. , 


f. 


-f 


.!■.■ 


494 


Lira  OF  BIR  WILLIAM  JOnNSON,  BART. 


»■'?>  . 


mi' 


su^ 


4'  ^u 


'I 


!■ 


1,1       I 


cwAP.     But  theeo  precautionary  meatturcs  od  thcpartof  Qovernor 
Wy^  Hamiltou  did  not  defeat  the  object  of  the  Connecticut  com- 
17M.  pony,  although  the  Pennsylvania  delegates  wore  especially 
instructed  to  that  end  before  leaving  home  for  Albany. 
A  purchaHi   was  made  by  the  Connecticut  agents  or  dele> 
gates,  through  Lydius,  of  a  tract  of  land  extending  about 
seventy  miles  north  and  south,  and  from  a  parallel  line  ton 
miles  east  of  the  Susquehanna,  westward  two  degrees  of 
longitude.  *    This  purchase  included  the  whole  valley  of 
Wyoming,  and  the  country  westward  to  the  sources  of  the 
Allegany. '    The  Pennsylvania  delegates  did  all  in  their 
power  to  circumvent  the  agents  of  the  Susquehanna  com- 
pany, holding  several  private  councils  with  the  chiefs  of 
the  Six  Nations,  and  endeavoring  to  purchase  the  same 
lands  themselves.    In  the  course  of  their  consult^tiouB, 
Hendrik,  thinking  that  some  reflections  had  been  cast  upou 
his  character,  became  excited  and  declared  that  neither 
of  the  parties  should  have  the  land.    But  the  Connecticut 
agents  succeeded,  as  already  stated,  and  the  Pennsylvaniaus 
also  effected  the  purchase  of  "  a  tract  of  land  between.the 
Blue  mountain  and  the  forks  of  the  Susquehanna  river;— 
purchases  which  were  to  involve  Pennsylvania  in  a  long 
and  savage  war,  in  which  the  blood  of  her  best  settlers 
flowed  like  water.    Strong  efforts  were  subsequently  made 
by  the  Pennsylvanians,  aided  by  the  influence  of  Colonel 
Johnson,  to  induce  the  Indians  to  revoke  the  sale  to  the 
Susquehanna  company,  and  Hendrik  was  induced  by  the 
colonel  to  make  a  visit  to  Philadelphia  upon  that  business 
And  in  justice  to  the  Pennsylvanians  it  must  be  allowed 
that  they  always  protested  against  the  legality  of  thia  pur- 
chase by  their  rivals — alleging  truly  that  the  bargain  was 

'  .  # 

>  Chapman.  Atiot&«r  MI<MStatloii  waii  fUbMqatatty  fonaed  in  Conneotiout 
called  the  Delaware  company,  vhich  purohased  the  land  of  the  Indians  east 
of  the  Wyoming  traet,  to  the  Delaware  river.  This  company  began  a  set- 
tlement on  the  Delaware  at  a  place  called  Coshutunk  in  1757,  which  VM 
the  fireit  settlement  founded  by  the  people  of  Connecticut  within  the  terri* 
tory  claimed  by  them  west  of  New  York.  '  ■ 


LWB  OF  MR  WILLIAM  J0HK80N,   BART. 


466 


not  made  in  open  council ;  that  it  was  the  work  of  a  few  of  obaf. 
the  chiefs  only;  and  that  Beveral  of  thoin  wore  in  a  at4ito«.^ 
of  intoxication  when  they  signed  the  deed  of  conveyance. '  ^'**' 

During  the  session  of  the  congress,  at  the  suggestion  of 
the  Massachusetts  commissioners,  the  plan  for  a  general 
federal  union  was  taken  into  consideration.  A  committee, 
consisting  of  a  delegate  from  each  of  the  colonies  repre* 
sented,  was  appointed  to  draft  plans  for  this  object;'  and 
the  subject  was  debated  '*  hand  in  hand  with  the  Indian 
business  daily,  for  twelve  consecutive  days."^  Finally, 
after  several  difi'erent  plans  had  been  submitted  to  the 
board  and  debated,  the  one  drawn  by  Franklin-r^the  chief 
heads  of  which  had  been  prepared  by  him  before  he  loft 
home,  was  adopted.  Every  member  of  th?  cou^^il  ap- 
proved of  the  plan  except  Mr.  De  Lancey,  "  and  he  made 
no  great  opposition,"*  The  plan,  in  many  of  its  features, 
was  similar  to  the  federal  constitution,  which  its  author 
assisted  in  framing  many  years  afterward.  It  proposed 
first,  that  application  should  be  made  to  parliament  for  an 
act  to  establish  a  general  government  in  America,  which 
was  to  consist  of  a  president  general,  to  be  supported  by 
the  crown,  and  a  grand  council  of  forty-eight  members, 

iQordon.  In  this  opinion  Gordon  is  supported  by  Colonel  Pickering, 
who  remarks : — These  purchases  were  not  made,  I  am  well  satisfied,  at  any 
public  council,  or  open  treaties  of  the  Indians  to  whom  thiy  belonged,  but 
of  little  knots  of  inferior  and  unauthorized  chiefs,  indifferent  about  the 
consequences,  provided  they  received  some  present  gratification,  if  oom- 
puatively  of  little  value, 

*  This  committee  was  composed  of  Franklin  of  Pennsylvania,  Tasker  of 
Maryland,  Smith  of  New  York,  Hutchinson  of  Massachusetts,  Atchinson 
of  New  Hampshire,  Pitkin  of  Connecticut,  and  Hopkins  of  Rhode  Island — 
all  distinguished  men.  ■     i  :.  ' 

«Franklin.  ^^- '  •  : 

*  Smith.  See  also  Governor  Livingston  AfdM.  iTu.  Co/,  viii,  77.  Author- 
ities, I  am  aware,  differ  on  this  point  of  unanimity.  Franklin  and  Hutch- 
inson say  the  plan  was  unanimotialtf  agreed  upon,  and  Trumbull  directly 
affirms  the  contrary.  The  balance  of  authority  however,  serves  to  sustaiii 
the  view  taken  in  the  text. 

69 


'!    : 


m   i' 


466 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,  BART. 


I'' 


1  it  P* 


r 


I  fi 


Ui4 


CHAP,  who  were  to  be  chosen  by  the  difterent  colonial  assemblies.' 
w^_^  The  number  of  members  from  each  colony  was  to  be  never 
1764.  more  than  seven,  nor  less  than  two ;  and  was  to  be  "  in 
proportion  to  the  sums  paid  by  each  colony  into  the  general 
treasury."    To  the  grand  council  was  to  be  committed  tho 
entire  management  of  all  civil  and  military  afiairs.    The 
president  general  was  to  have  a  veto  power  on  every  act 
of  the  council,  and  in  him  was  to  be  lodged  the  whole 
executive  authority.     To  him  also  was  given  "  the  appoint- 
ment, with  tho  advice  of  the  council,  of  all  military  oflj- 
cers,  and  the  entire  management  of  Indian  afiairs."    The 
president  and  council  together  might  declare  war  against 
the  Indians,  or  make  peace  with  them ;  conclude  treaties; 
buy  lands  either  in  the  name  of  the  orown  or  the  union; 
raise  troops ;  build  forts ;  and  in  short  do  everything  for 
the  general  defence  and  welfare  of  the  colonies.     The  seat 
of  this  government  was  to  be  located  in  Philadelphia, 
which,  it  was  supposed,  might  possibly  be  reached  from 
either  South   Carolina  or  New  Hampshire  in  fifteen  or 
twenty  days ! 

This  plan  was  not  adopted.  The  several  assemblies 
deeming  it  too  much  of  an  encroachment  upon  the  liberties 
of  the  people,  refused  their  assent.  The  parent  govern- 
ment, equally  jealous  of  the  prerogative,  rejected  it  on  the 
ground  that  it  favored  the  democratic  at  the  expense  of 
the  aristocratic  element ;  and  the  colonial  governors,  "  too 
inconsiderable  to  hope  for  so  illustrious  a  seat  as  the  presi- 
dent's, could  not  brook  the  exaltation  of  private  citizens 
to  stations  in  the  grand  council,  inflating  their  vanity,  and 
enabling  them  not  only  to  traverse  their  interests  at  court, 

*  The  assemblies  were  to  choose  the  members  for  the  gtftnd  ooUJDoil  in  the 
following  proportion : 

Massachusetts 7  Pennsylvania 6 

New  Hampshire 2  Maryland. ., i 

Cunnectiout Q  Virginia 7 

llhode  Island 2  North  Carolina ^ 

New  York ., 4  South  Carolina ^ 

New  Jersey 3  — 

Total,  48 


IT. 

lialassoraWies.' 
was  to  be  never 
was  to  be  "  iu 
into  the  general 
B  committed  tlie 
iry  afiairs.    The 
rer  on  every  act 
dged  the  whole 
e^  "  the  appoint- 
all  military  offi- 
n  affairs."    The 
jlare  war  against 
onclude  treaties; 
vn  or  the  union; 
0  everything  for 
lonies.    The  seat 
in  Philadelphia, 
be  reached  from 
hire  in  fifteen  or 

Bveral  assemblies 
upon  the  liberties 
le  parent  govern- 

rejected  it  on  the 
t  the  expense  of 
tl governors,  "too 
a  seat  as  the  presi- 
)f  private  citizens 
their  vanity,  and 

interests  at  court, 

he  grand  council  in  the 

6 

la 

4 

"■' ',7*1] 7 

,.  4 

ohna 

ilina 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


487 


but  lessen  their  authority." '    The  plan,  therefore,  meeting  cwap. 
with  coldness  from  both  the  crown  and  the  colonists,  fell  v-v— ' 
through ;  yet  not  until  it  had  proved  the  leaven,  which,  1764,. 
working  for  many  years,  prepared  the  minds  of  the  people 
to  receive  with  alacrity  a  similar  federal  constitution,  thirty- 
three  years  afterwards. 

Thus  closed  the  labors  of  the  most  august  assemblage 
that  had  ever  yet  been  convened  upon  the  American  con- 
tinent. Composed  of  men  distinguished  in  the  walks  of 
science,  statesmanship  and  philanthropy,  it  commanded 
attention  alike  from  the  humblest  of  the  people  to  the 
highest  dignitary  of  the  crown.  Though  in  some  respects 
it  was  a  political  failure,  yet  it  stands  another  link  in  the 
chain  of  events  which  were  rapidly  hastening  the  colonies 
into  the  mainte*  uince  of  an  independent  existence.  * 

Scarcely  had  the  last  commissioner  departed  from  Albany, 
when  the  whole  frontier  from  the  meadows  of  the  Ohio  to 
the  forests  of  Maine,  became  alive  with  savage  hordes  let 
loose  upon  the  settlements  by  the  French.  Intimations 
of  this  however,  had  been  received  through  the  mouths 
of  Indian  runners  in  the  spring.  As  soon  as  hostilities 
had  fairly  begun  on  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania,  reports 
came  that  a  fort  had  been  erected  on  the  head  waters  of 
the  Kennebec  by  the  French.  Immediately  on  the  receipt 
of  this  news.  Governor  Shirley,  at  the  suggestion  of  Din- 
widdle,' proceeded  up  that  river  with  five  hundred  toen  to 
Tacconet  falls  where  he  built  Fort  Halifax.  Having 
explored  the  country  above  Nimdynock  withotit  discover- 
ing any  signs  of  the  enemy.  Governor  Shirley  built  Fort 
Western  at  Cushenoc,  and  leaving  a  sufficient  number  of 
men  to  garrison  the  forts,  returned  to  Boston  to  find  the 
enemy  almost  at  the  very  gates  of  that  city. 

The  storm  which  had  been  so  long  gathering  had  indeed 
hurst  with  all  its  fury  upon  the  colonies.    On  the  twenty- 

>  Smith. 

'  For  a  full  account  of  this  congress,  see  Mass.  His.  Col.  t,  3d  series. 

'  Qovernor  Dinwiddie  to  Lieutenant  Governor  De  Laucey. 


'■■■i. 


468 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


'U 


%  \ 


OBAP.  eighth  of  May  a  body  of  one    hundred   Schaghti«^oke 
s-.^— .  Indians  fell  upon  Dutch  Hoosick,  about  ten  miles  west  of 
1764.  yort  Massachusetts,  and  attacking  some  men  at  a  mill  on 
the  borders  of  the  town,  killed  one  and  wounded  another. 
Seemingly  infuriated  by  the  sight  of  blood,  they  next 
rushed  into  the  settlement — firing  houses,  barns  and  stacks 
of  grain,  and  killing  large  numbers  of  cattle.    On  the  fol- 
lowing day  they  burned  the  little  village  of  Coick,  but  as 
most  of  the  inhabitants  had  fortunately  taken  the  alarm 
and  fled  the  day  previous,  the  loss  of  life  was  not  great. ' 
The  villagers  presented  a  lamentable  spectacle  as  they 
came  the  next  day  into  Albany,  some  half  naked,  others 
with  one  or  tWo  articles  of  household  goods — all  that  they 
had  been  able  to  secure  in  their  sudjden  flight — and  all 
foot-sore  and  weary.    The  sight,  says  an  eye-witness,  was 
pitiable  in  the  extreme. ' '  The  garrison  of  Fort  Maasachu- 
setts  being  too  weak  to  furnish  eficient  aid,  a  party  of 
militia  immediately  left  Albany  for  the  scene  of  devastation; 
but  the  Indians  escaped  into  the  woods,  whither  the  militia 
dared  not  follow.'     Hardly  had  the  yells  of  the  savages 
died  away,  when,  as  if  to  add  intensity  to  these  horrors, 
intelligence  came  that  the  tomahawk  was  doing  its  bloody 
work  upon  the  borders  of  New  Hampshire.     On  the 
fifteenth  of  August,  the  Indians  made  their  first  appearance 
at  Bakerstown,  killing  a  woman,  and  capturing  several 
others.     A  few  days  afterwards  they  surprised  the  house 
of  James  Johnson  at  Number  Four,  in  the  night,  and 
rousifig  his  family  from  their  slumbers,  conveyed  him,  his 
wife  and  six  others  to  Crown  Point,  and  thence  into  Canada.  ^ 
landing  the   enemy  intent  upon  slaughter.   Governor 
Shirley  at  once  took  active  measures  for  the  defence  of  the 
Massachusetts  frontier.     Colonel  Israel  "Williams,  who  had 

*  Hoyt's  Indian  Wars. 

*  Letter  from  the  Indian  commissioners  at  Albany  to  Lieut.  Got.  De  Lan- 
oey. 

*  In  this  raid  14  houses,  28  barns,  and  28  barracks  of  wheat  were 
destroyed. — Statement  of  Captain  Chapin,  then  in  command  of  Fort  Mai- 
»achiuetts. 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


469 


to  Lieut.  Got.  De  Lan- 


p.   V  ad  himself  such  an  efficient  officer  in  the  last  war,  was  chap. 
agaia  called  to  the  defence  of  the  western  border.    Thatv-^— * 
officer,  having  in  his  previous  service  become  thoroughly  ^'^** 
conversant  with  the  topography  of  the  country,  submitted 
to  Shirley  a  sketch  of  the  land, — together  with  a  plan  for 
a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war.    He  proposed  that  those 
forts  which  had  affijrded  little  or  no  protection  heretofore 
to  the  borderers  should  be  given  up,  and  in  their  place,  a 
line  of  small  fortifications  should  be  erected  through  the 
valley  of  Oharlemont ;  Forts  Dummer  and  Massachusetts 
were  to  be  strengthened  and  supplied  with  light  cannon, 
and  with  two  additional  forts  to  the  westward,  were  to  form 
a  chain  of  forts  connecting  with  the  line  of  fortifications 
in  New  York*    Having  seen,  also,  the  advantage  which 
the  Indians,  by  their  system  of  warfare,  had  always  pos- 
sessed over  the  whites,  Colonel  Williams  now  proposed  to 
meet  them  with  their  own  weapons  and  upon  their  own 
ground.    For  this  purpose,  bodies  of  rangers  well  skilled 
in  woodcraft  and  in  bush  fighting,  were  to  be  selected  and 
kept  constantly  traversing  the  wilderness, '  keeping  at  the 
same  time  a  sharp  look  out  upon  the  routes  to  and  from 
Crown  Point. '    The  plan  of  Colonel  "Williams  was  laid  by 
Governor  Shirley  before  the  general  court,  and  its  main  \ 
features  were  adopted.    A  body  of  rangers,  such  as  the  | 
colonel  had  recommended,  was  also  raised  and  stationed 
on  the  western  frontier  under  his  command.    At  the  same 
time  troops  were  raised  for  the  defence  of  the  north-western 
quarter  of  the  province,  in  the  counties  of  Worcester  and 
Hampshire,  and  Captain  Ephraim  Williams  appointed  to 
the  command,  with  the  rank  of  major.* 

While  these  vigorous  measures  for  the  defence  of  Mas- 
sachusetts were  being  pushed  forward  by  Governor  Shirley, 
the  lieutenant  governor  of  New  York  was  not  idle.    As 

'  Hoy  1*8  Indian  Wars. 

'The  present  state  of  Vermont.  .  ,, 

^Hoyt'a  Indian  Wan.  -.  i  .      .,         ;       , 

'Idem. 


1 

1 
i 

I 

i 

4Ta 


LIFB  OF  SIB  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


1764. 


i  '■ 


oHjAP.  soon  as  the  latter  received  intelligence  of  the  destruction 
<  of  Hoosick,  he  sent  orders  to  the  authorities  of  Albany  to 
repair  the  stockades  around  that  city,  and  put  the  block 
houses  in  a  suitable  condition  for  defence.  Simultaneously, 
by  his  orders,  the  only  company  remaining  in  New  York 
— the  two  independent  companies  having  sailed  for  Vir- 
ginia— marched  to  Albany — a  sergeant  and  a  few  invalids 
only  being  left  in  the  city  to  garrison  the  fort. 

While  these  measures  were  in  progress  to  guard  Albany 
against  surprise,  rumors  reached  Colonel  Johnson  from  the 
north,  that  the  French  were  meditating  a  descent  upon  the 
lower  settlements  of  the  colony,  and  that  a  large  force  in 
advance  of  the  main  body  had  akeady  begun  their  march. ' 
Although  these  reports  were  not  credited  by  the  colonel, 
yet  he  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  relax  the  preparations 
which  he  had  already  begun,  shortly  after  the  burning  of 
Hoosick,  for  putting  the  frontier  towns  in  a  posture  of 
defence.  Measures  were  therefore  immediately  taken  by 
him  for  placing  the  militia  of  the  province  in  a  condition 
to  render  eflGLcient  service.  Acting  with  this  object,  he 
wrote  at  once  to  the  captains  of  the  several  companies 
within  his  district,  ordering  them  to  have  their  men  in 
readiness  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning. '  At  the  same 
time,  he  directed  the  commanding  officer  at  Schenectady 
to  see  that  all  the  companies  stationed  there  were  instantly 
equipped  and  provided  with  proper  arms  and  ammunition. 
The  officer  was  further  ordered  to  keep  a  strict  watch  by 
night  and  by  day,  and  to  report  to  him  the  state  of  the 
block  houses.'  Considerable  difficulty  having  arisen 
between  the  militia  and  the  regulars  stationed  at  Schenec- 
tady, the  colonel  in  these  same  orders  thought  proper  to 
add : — "  the  guard  must  be  regular,  and  not  allowed  to  cora- 

>  Manuscript  orders  of  Colonel  Johnson  to  the  captains  of  the  different 
companies  within  his  district. 

*  Idem. 

»  Manuscript  letter ;  Johnson  to  Captain  Jacobus  Van  Slyck,  the  command- 
ing  officer  at  Schenectady,  Aug.  80th,  1764. 


i"      I 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


471 


plains  of  the  different 
m  Slyck,  the  oommand- 


mit  any  indecency,  or  gi\o  any  insults  to  the  king's  gar-cwAP. 

>  I  XIV. 

risen.  \.     ......  ■:..■.      ■„.;■:;,;••    .:..::  V .. ;.:':  ...     .......    y^-y^ 

^^',..  .'        -  "  ;..  f  1764. 

Meanwhile  the  general  assembly  was  convened  by  the 

lieutenant  governor  on  the  twentieth  of  August.    His  rea- 
son for  convening  it  at  such  an  unusual  season  of  the  year 
was  given  in  the  opening  message.    It  was,  he  said,  to 
inform  them  of  Colonel  Washington's  defeat  upon  the 
east  side  of  the  Ohio,  within  the  undoubted  limits  of  his 
majesty's  dominions  ;  and  as  it  was  plain  that  the  king's 
lands  had  now  been  invaded,  there  was  therefore  no  excuse 
for  not  voting  their  promised  aid  to  Virginia,  which  they 
had  refused  at  the  last  session.     The  defenceless  condition 
of  Albany  was  then  pointed  out,  and  the  consequent  neces- 
sity for  erecting  a  fort  upon  Hudson  river  for  its  protec- 
tion;   equally  necessary,  he  continued,  in  view  of  the 
importance  of  the  Six  Nations  as  allies,  was  the  erection 
of  a  fort  in  the  Seneca's  country,  where  a  smith  could 
permanently  reside.   As  the  Confederates,  moreover,  at  the 
last  congress,  had  complained  of  the  pernicious  effect  of 
the  sale  of  rum  amongst  them,  he  urged  a  more  stringent 
act  to  prevent  its  sale  to  the  Indians,  as  the  one  formerly 
passed  for  that  pui-pose  had  proved  totally  ineffectual.    A 
Btronger  militia  act,  for  the  formation  into  companies  of 
those  able  to  bear  arms,  yet  exempt  from  military  duty  by 
law,  was  advised  ;  and  also  that  a  quantity  of  arms  and 
accoutrements  should  be  provided  at  New  York  and  at 
Albany,  to  be  on  hand  in  case  of  any  emergency.    Direct- 
ing his  remarks  more  particularly  to  the  house,  he  inform- 
ed it  of  the  plan  of  union  which  had  been  unanimously 
agreed  to  by  the  commissioners  at  Albany,  which  he  con- 
cluded, "  I  shall  now  order  to  be  laid  before  you." 

The  answer  of  the  house  was  of  the  same  general  tenor 
as  its  reply  to  the  lieutenant  governor's  message  at  the 
preceding  session — full  of  quibbles  in  justification  of  its 
refusal  to  grant  the  desired  aid.  "While  it  deemed  it 
the  reciprocal  duty  of  the  colonies  to  assist  each  other,  yet 
"these  principles,"  said  the  house,  "your  honor  will  nut 


! ;' 


■i 


h>'%l 


472 


LIFE  OF  SITl  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


f 


XSti 


CMAP. extend  to  an  unlimited  sense;"  there  may  be  instances 
«-v— 'Where  the  particular  colonies  which  are  invaded,  ought 
1^^*-  to  exert  their  own  strength  and  "  not  call  too  loudly  upon 
others  more  exposed  than  themselves  ;" — ^yet  such,  it  said, 
was  the  condition  of  the  colony  of  New  York,  burdened 
with  taxes,  and  threatened  by  the  enemy  at  their  very 
doors.     "  The  other  colonies,"  it  continued,  "  make  them- 
selves strong  and  defensible  by  settling  in  townships,  or 
some  other  close  order,  while  our  frontier    lands   are 
granted  away  in  patents,  almost  without  bounds  or  num- 
ber, regardless  of  settlements  or  the  public  welfare." 
■  "Would  any  man,"  says  Mr.  Smith,  alluding  to  this 
answer  of  the  assembly,  "  would  any  man  without  doors, 
and  not  in  the  secret,  believe  what  is  a  fact,  that  they  had 
already,  that  very  morning,  voted  a  gift  of  five  thousand 
pounds  to  their  fellow  subjects  in  Pennsylvania  and  Vir- 
ginia?"    Yet  such  was  the  fact.    By  granting  the  aid  to 
Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  the  ministry  were  humored ; 
while  by  doing  it  with  seeming  reluctance,  the  parsimoni- 
ous spirit  of  the  people  was  gratified  and  suspicions  of  a 
sacrifice  of  the  colony's  interests  to  the  De  Lancey  faction, 
prevented.^      Nothing  worthy  of   special  note  occurred 
during  the  remainder  of  this  sitting;  and  the  members 
of  the  assembly,  after  thanking  Mr.  De  l4ancey  for  the 
faithful  manner  in  which  he  had  distributed  the  presents 
to  the  Indians  at  the  late  congress— intending  by  this  a 
direct  hit  at  Mr.  Clinton — were  dismissed  to  their  homes. 


♦fw- 


In  the  general  assembly  which  met  on  the  fifteenth  of 
October,  was  first  manifested  the  want  of  that  harmony, 
which  had  hitherto  been  so  flattering  to  Mr.  De  Lancey's 
administration.  The  reluctance  of  the  lieutenant  governor 
at  the  congress  to  accede  to  the  plan  of  union,  first  awak- 
ened suspicion  in  the  public  mind  that  his  sympathies 
were  pn  the  side  of  the  crown ;  and  that  the  affection 
which  he  professed  for  the  people,  was  only  a  cover  to  his 

>  Smith.  •  ••  ,  '     .  . 


LIFB  OF  BIB  WILLIAM  JOHKSON,  BART. 


478 


own  ambition.    There  were  also  a  few  of  Mr.  Clinton's  ohapl 

XIV. 

friends  left,  around  whom  were  gathered  a  small  opposi-  s-^ 
tion ;  and  the  partiality  which  Mr.  De  Lancey  had  shown  *^*** 
to  his  partisans  since  .coming  into  power,  disgusted  others 
and  added  to  the  discontent  which  was  now  quite  general. 
To  this  was  added  another  source  of  dissatisfaction,  viz. : 
the  course  he  had  taken  in  the  founding  of  the  coUege. 
To  understand  this  latter  point  more  clearly,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  glance  at  the  origin  of  the  controversy  which  was 
now  raging  fiercely,  and: which  had  already  divided  the 
assembly  into  two  parties.  >  >,|)  (^i,,^  ^yn^i.r-r-.uu 

The  province  of  New  York  at  this  period  was  divided, 
in  its  religious  views,  into  two  sectsr— the  Episcopalian 
and  the  Presbyterian— rthe  former  being  le4  by  James  De 
Lancey,  and  the  latter  by  Wm.  Livingston.  The  Presby- 
terians, though  outnumbering  ten  to  one  the  Episcopa- 
lians,* had  not  fairly  recovered  from  the  oppressions  of 
the  early  governors,  Fletcher  and  Cornb\iry ;  and  they 
would  probably  have  remained  quiet,  had  not  the  Episco- 
palians, with  great  lack  of  judgment,  stirred  up  anew  the 
embers  of  controversy.^ 

The  people  of  New  York,  awakened  to  the  importance 
of  stimulating  education,  raised  by  successive  lotteries, 
the  sum  of  three  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty-three 
pounds  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  college ;  and  in  the 
fall  of  1761,  passed  an  act  for  placing  the  money  thus 
raised  in  the  hands  of  ten  trustees.  Of  these,  seven  were 
Episcopalians,  two  belonged  to  the  Dutch  church,  and 
the  tenth  was  Wm.  Livingston,  an  English  Presbyterian.' 
This  manifest  inequality  in  favor  of  the  church  of  Eng- 
land, at  once  raised  a  well  founded  alarm  in  the  minds  of 
the  other  sects,  who  very  justly  perceived  in  this,  an 
attempt  to  make  the  college  entirely  sectarian,  by  which 
only  those  in  the  Episcopal  church  could  participate  in 


•Smith.  ,:,       ,  : 

*Life  of  Livingtton,  by  Sedgwick  Jun. 

'Wm.  Livingtson,  ftf^erward  governor  of  New  Jersey, 


■    fi     .K/i 


60 


t    1 


474 


LIVB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


i'  4  I 


0H».  its  benefits.    Nor  were  they  left  long  in  suspense^  for  it 
xi-y^soon  became  well  understood  that  the  majority  of  the 
llUt  trustees  were  to  have  the  college  under  their  control,  and 
were  intending  shortly  to  petition  the  lieutenant  governor 
lor  a  charter,  in  which  it  was  to  be  expressly  stipulated 
that  no  person  out  of  the  communion  of  the  English 
Church  should  be  eligible  to  the  0M06  of  president.*   Far 
seeing  men  uttered  gloomy  fbrebodings ;  fend  a  belief  soon 
diffused  itself  through  the  tninds  of  intelligent  dissenters, 
that  this  Was  only  the  foreshaddwing  of  an  attempt  to 
introduce  into  the  colony  an  established  church,     'di      : 
This  idea  was  to  a  majority  of  the  colonists  repugnant 
in  the  extreme.    The  Union  of  church  and  state,  with  its 
tythes  and  taxes,  was,  like  the  <'  skeleton  in  armor,"  ^ver 
present  to  their  imaginations,  stimulating  them  to  the 
utmost  resistance.    Mr.  Livingston,  therefore,  partially 
with  a  view  to  expose  the  evils  of  a  college  foutided  upon 
Such  sectarian  principles,  established  a  paper  called  the 
Independent  JRefiector.*    The  articles    which  successively 
appeared  from  his  pen  on  this  subject  were  able  and  pun- 
gent.   Under  his  lash  the  leaders  of  the  church  party 
winced ;'  and  in  their  agony,  charged  him  with  the  design 
of  breaking  up  the  plan  of  any  college  whatever,  and 
dreaded  lest  he  should  obtain  a  charter  '*  fot  constituting 
a  college  on  a  bfesis  the  most  catholic,  generous  and  free."^ 
These  attacks  of  the  church  pttrty  were  returned  with 

1  Life  t^  Lwingiton. 

*  Idem. 

*In  a  letter  firom  the  Rev.  Samuel  Johnson  of  Connecticut  to  Bishop 
Sfecker  (published  in  the  London  Doeumentt  xzz,  6),  the  writer  sajrs :  "  The 
«hurch  at  New  York  is  about  founding  a  college  with  free  liberty  to  dissent- 
ing pupils  to  go  to  what  meeting  they  please ;  nay  not  excluding  dissenters 
from  being  even  tutors.  *  «  *  Nay  they  contend  that  no  religion  at 
all  should  be  taught  in  the  college  rather  than  the  church  should  have  any 
precedence.  So  bitterly  are  they  set  against  us  I  and  bowerer  so  inuoh 
they  are  otherwise  at  variance  among  themselTes,  yet  they  unite  leitli  ihw 
utmost /ore«  against  us,  and  do  all  they  can  to  disaffeot  th^  Dutoh  towarda 
OS,  who  otherwise  were  peaceably  disposed." 

* Indepmdent  Refitttof,  No.  18.  i-  i  .  .1;      ■. 


r. 

iftpenaoj  for  it 
lajority  of  the 
jir  control,  and 
enant  governor 
Bsly  atlpulated 
of  the  English 
jreiident.^  Far 
nd  a  belief  Boon 
igent  diBsenters, 

an  attempt  to 
hurch.   *''"< 
nists  repugnant 
id  state,  with  its 
in  armor,"  ever 
Qg  them  to  the 
jrefore,  partially 
je  foutidedupon 
paper  called  the 
lich  BUCceBBively 
jre  able  and  pun- 
ihe  church  party 
a  with  the  design 
;e  whatever,  and 

"fot  conBtituting 
Qcrous  and  free."* 
re  returned  with 


Connebtiout  to  Bisliop 
the  writer  sftjrs:  "The 
1  free  liberty  to  disBent- 

■ot  excluding  dissenters 

,nd  that  no  religion  at 

ohurch  should  have  any 

hnd  bowever  so  much 

_,et  they  "n'"-" «""'  '*'!'■ 


LIFl  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNBON,   BART. 


476 


redoubled  violence,  and  the  controverBy  had  now  risen  to  <»A9t 
fever  heat.*  s^,^ 

The  efforts  of  Mr.  Livingston  and  other  able  writers  to  ^'^'^^ 
prevent  the  incorporation  of  the  college  under  these  prin- 
ciples, were  fruitless ;  and  Mr.  De  Lancey  accordingly 
granted  the  charter.  Rev.  Samuel  Johnson  from  Stratford, 
a  worthy  man,  was  called  to  the  president's  chair,  and  Mr. 
Livingston  was  appointed  one  of  the  governors,  ii^  the 
hope  of  silencing  his  opposition.' 

The  granting  of  this  charter  was  so  displeasing  to  the 
majority  of  the  people,  that  the  lieutenant  governor 
thought  it  advisable,  in  order  to  win  back  their  former 
confidence,  to  urge  at  the  present  session  the  passage  of 
several  popular  acts.  Among  them  was  one  for  supplying 
the  garrison  at  Albany  and  the  fortifications  along  the 
frontiers,  and  another  for  the  discharge  of  the  claims  of 
the  public  creditors,  especially  the  one  of  Colonel  John- 
son, c    ■''':;•■'   '^''.'1'    i.;fi    i'nUi  "o'!-) 

It  may  at  first  appetur  singular  that  Mr.  De  Laucey 
should  be  found  using  his  influence  in  favor  of  Oolonel 
Johnson.  His  opposition  to  the  latter,  however,  had 
arisen  more  from  a  desire  to  harass  Governor  Clinton, 
than  from  any  personal  animosity;  and  the  cause  being 
now  removed,  he  not  only  ceased  his  enmity,  but  co>i<- 
tinued  his  warm  friend  until  his  decease.    .,.  |,,;'  ,  .  j.  ;,. , 

In  a  message  which  the  lieutenant  governor  sent  down 
on  the  twenty-fifth,  the  house  was  iuformed  that  the 
Mohawks  of  the  lower  castle  were  dissatisfied  on  account 
of  a  piece  of  ground  which  they  had  formerly  sold  to  the 

1  The  following  are  a  few  of  the  titles  of  the  artioles  written  and  pnb- 
lislied  by  Mr.  Livingston  at  this  time. 

"No.  XXXI.  Primitive  Christianity,  short  and  intelligible— Modern 
Christianity,  Toluminons  and  inoomprehensible.  .    *         ^ 

"  XXxiT.  Of  the  ▼e]fieration  and  contempt  of  the  clergy. 

"  XXXVI.  The  absurdity  of  th^  pivil  magistrate's  interfering  in  majbt^ry 
of  religion. 

"xxxviii.  Of  passive  obedience  and  non-resistance." 

'Sedgwick.  '    '  m 


■-H: 


m 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


fj. 


i,.^  V' 


'■\. 


<«Ji|#«Rev.    Mr.    Barclay.    The  land,   thoy  said,  they    never 
*-v-»  intended  should  pass  in  fee,  but  remain  forever  for  the 
17M.  ugQ  of  any  missionary  who  might  be  stationed  among 
them.    Rev.  Mx*  Barclay,  having  given  up  his  situation 
as  missionary  to  the  Mohawks,  for  the  rectorate  of  Trinity 
Church,  would  gladly  deed  the  land  back  to  the  IndiatiH, 
provided  he  was  reimbursed  for  the  improvements  which 
he  had  put  upon  it.    The  message  therefore  recommended 
that  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  should  be  appropriated  for 
this  object,  as  well  as  for  the  erecting  of  a  church  among 
the  Canajoharies,  which  the  latter  very  much  desired. 
*  The  asf  embly  had  already  proceeded  to  vote  the  arrears 
of  salaries,  and  a  farther  sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  for  the  extraordinary  expenses  of  the  lieutenant 
governor  at  the  late  treaty,  when  on  the  twenty-firat  of 
November,  a  letter  was  communicated  to  them  by  Mr.  Do 
Lancey,  from  the  lords  of  trade.    The  latter,  he  said,  were 
of  opinion,  that  the  council  had  done  right  in  refusing 
its  ass6nt  to  the  late  application  bill,  as  such  annual 
grants  might  be  employed  "  to  the  purpose  of  wresting 
from  the  crown  the  nomination  of  all  officers  whose  sala- 
ries depended  upon  the  appointment  of  the  assembly,  and 
(^  defeating  aU  the  necessary  services  of  government;" 
atod  that  they  were,  therefore,  at  a  loss  to  understand  what 
end  the  plan  of  granting  a  yearly  revenue  could  serve.   If, 
however,  the  assembly    persisted  in  these  attempts  to 
weaken  the  power  of  the  crown  by  such  measures,  it  must 
not  flatter  itself  that  it  could  give  them  either  stability  or 
permanency.  "I  hope,  therefore,"  continued  Mr.  De  Lan- 
cey, "  you  will  take  these  weighty  reasons  into  your  most 
serious  consideration,  and  provide  a  permanent  revenue 
for  the  support  of  government,  in  such  a  manner  as  may 
put  an  end  to  any  dispute  on  that  head."    "  There  is 
another  point  in  their  lordship's  letter,"  he  farther  added, 
"  on  which  it  is  proper  you  should  know  their  sentiments. 
Their  lordships  are  inclined  to  believe,  from  the  nature  of 
paper  currency  in  general,  that  the  making  such  paper 


1; 


LtFB  or  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


477 


money    a  legal  tender  in  all  payments,  is  unnecessary,  ohaf. 
improper,  and  inconsistent  with  the  sense  of  parliament,"  w^-L 
and  therefore  "  I  cannot  give  my  consent  to  any  act  of  this  ^"**' 
sort,  without  a  clause  being  inserted  therein,   suspending 
its  execution,  until  his  mtyesty's  pleasure  bo  known."    '  >J 
The  result  of  this  communication  was  an  address  in  which, 
while  the  assembly  denied  any  intention  to  encroach  on 
the  executive,  it  refused  to  recede  from  the  new  mode 
of  a  yearly  support.    It  was  impossible,  it  said,  on  account 
of  the  colony  debt,  to  erect  forts  without  a  farther  issue 
of  paper;    and  it  boldly  declared,  that  unless  the  bills 
were  made  a  legal  tender  without  any  restriction,  it  would 
not  even  accede  to  that ;  when  however  he  had  it  in  his 
power,  to  give  his  assent  to  an  act  that  should  not  be 
impeded  by  any  rtstraining  clonise^  it  would  cheerfully  pro- 
vide for  the  defence  of  the  colony.  The  assembly  neverthe- 
less was  so  alive  to  the  importance  of  erecting  a  fort  forth- 
with upon  the  Hudson  river  above  Albany,  that  it  directed 
him  to  have  one  built,  promising  to  defray  the  cost  when 
the  amount  should  be  known.*        .  ?«icir'  uiji'      v^:!'!  >  jiii 
The  grantin£;  of  a  charter  to  the  new  college  had   not 
utterly  crushed  out  opposition  to  its  obnoxious  principles. 
The  house  still  had  the  disposal  of  the  money  which  had 
been  raised ;  and  the  sectaries  having  a  majority,  the  trus- 
tees were  ordered  to  report  their  transactions  by  virtue  of 
the  act  under  which  they  had  been  appointed.     The  latter 
accordingly  on  the  first  of  November  handed  in  two  sepa- 
rate reports,    Wm.  Livingston  reading  one,  and  James 
Livingston  and  Mr.  Nicoll  the  other.    After  the  two 
reports  had  been    considered,  the    house  unanimously 
resolved  "  that  it  would  not  consent  to  any  disposition  of 
the  moneys  raised  by  lottery  for  erecting  a  college  within 
this  colony,  in  any  other  manner,  than  by  an  act  of  the 
legislature  hereafter  passed  for  that  purpose."  Permission 
at  the  same  time  was  given  Mr.  Robert  Livingston  to 

'Journal  of  assembly. 


1 


r  ^4  ■ 


Uri  or  8IK  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


1 


I*  ■-  >  • 


■fi 


I'-'f  ! 


i7M. 


f^f  hntig  In  a  bill  for  incorporating  a  college,  which  he  intra* 

wyw  ducc'd  th«t  same  afternoon.' 

The  mtiudnction  of  this  bill  Mtonished  both  houBes.  It 
was  vain  to  suppose  that  the  council  would  give  its  assent 
to  at,  act  so  distasteful  to  itsreligioua  prejudices;  nor  was 
the  U   'tenant  governor  likely  to  directly  contradict  the 
letters  patent  which,  on  behalf  of  the  crown,  he  himself 
had  granted — while  the  assembly,  composed  chiefly  of  (\i»- 
senters,  dared  not  reject  it.'    In  this  predicament,  a  .  r  'ioii 
was  made  by  Mr.  Walton — ^prefaced  with    th     run.arh, 
"that  the  subject  was  of  the  utmost  consoqnfi.oc  t<  the 
people  they  represented,  with  respect  boti   '  >  their  civil 
and  religious  liberties" — that  the  con8iJcr.i'A.n  of  tho  bill 
be  deferred  until  the  next  session,  by  which  time  tho  Hcn- 
timents  of  their  constituents  could  be  obtained.  >   Thia 
motion  wae  gladly  seized  upon  as  the  only  mode  which 
presented  an  honorable  retreat  from  the  position  they  had 
so  hastily  assumed,  and  was  therefore  imm«dLately  carried. 
Thus,  with  the  close  of  the  year,  practically  terminated 
the  college  controversy.    A  controverey,  which  considered 
in  iti.cif,  waBnot  perhaps  of  much  importance ;  but  which 
phould  not  be  omitted  by  the  historian,  who  would  show 
the  progress  which  the  colonists  were  making  toward 
that  civil  and  religious  freedom  which  they  afterward 
attained.    /•  '^?T>'iJ'»«^ii;i;iJ  nufi  y\- >.,<:.  ..;  :,,.:•):,!.   r^ ,/    / , 


1  Smith. 
*Idem. 


,V»v»  ;f; 


f^t I    .  < « 


■■-'■    .11  '«    ■'.     I'i   i'-iii     ri)    ii'i    ('      '    ! :  i  M' f.'i 


r  ■',• 


( 


■ifi...      If. ■..,.' 

."I-    I  •  111  .  • 

'  'A  I  .      .  f 


■iTUOU  " 


?1 


WA4   «/.rl«/tU«;    «Al.<  iS7/    HI*  H't    »•»: 


v'»»l' 


rhich  he  intro- 


i!'.»  <jI  {«ti  "1*  t%v  * 


CHAPTER  XV. 
1756. 


.'U>', 


N 


II  ii'-.v 


t 


,il>»»i)^U»4  "lis   ♦;.'i.  ». 

^l'ti!>«  ii'ji  ■ '  I  •  r   . 
f'  (*(  iiitUru,  <■■'  ■ 

Vttt  'to  ^h«4}  "!•>■ 

,*i|(»«TU  MiUMi.i.  1755  \  ■    V,  »♦■'!.  • 

^J/tVA'A'^  ft'''       i  W(,.l.i<|l^^  ^t'.'il        ^  till.  I  .'t^^L*'  ti*l      J' 

Blood  had  been  spilled,  Waflliington  defoutcd,  and  the 
scalping  knife  unsheathed  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Kunnebec, 
yet  England  and  France  were  still  at  peace.  NotwithHtand- 
ing  the  bold  assumptions  of  France,  the  vaacilluting  course 
of  the  Newcastle  ministry  rendered  a  definite  policy 
toward  that  government  impossible;  and  although  the 
d>vfeat  at  the  Great  Meadows  roused  the  miu  istry  sufficiently 
c<>  ask  the  advice  of  Horatio  Gates,  a  youti  'ul  officer  just 
arrived  from  Nova  Scotia,  yet  they  soon  relapsed  into  their 
former  imbecility,  leaving  the  charge  of  Aiiicricau  afi'airs 
to  the  duke  of  Cumberland,  at  that  time  the  captain  gen- 
eral of  the  armies  of  Great  Britain. ' 

The  duke  of  Cumberland,  who  has  been  described  as 
"cruel  and  sanguinary,"  regarded  the  oppor' unity  thus 
afforded  for  indulging  in  his  favorite  pastime,  wur,  with 
delight ;  and  rightly  judging  that  the  French  were  bent 
on  hostilities,  he  dispatched  in  January,  while  t  le  minis- 
try were  still  hesitiiting,  two  regiments  to  America  under 
the  command  of  Edward  Braddock.  The  French,  tho- 
roughly cognizant  of  the  intentions  of  the  EngLsh,  not- 
withstanding the  flimsy  diplomatic  subtleties  witl  which 
"  England's  foolish  prime  minister"  was  amusing  the  ^rench 
court,  immediately  made  preparations  for  sending  large 
reinforcements  into  Canada.  With  this  design,  a  ti  et  of 
transports  carrying  troops  under  the  command  of  iiaron 
Dieskau,  a  veteran  soldier,  and  having  also  on  board  De 
Vaudreuil,  who  was  to  supersede  Duquesne  in  the  govern- 
ment of  Canada,  sailed  from  Brest  early  in  May.     Scai  cely 


CHAP* 

XV. 


1766. 


'  Bancroft.    Walpole'a  Oeorge  II. 


'*i 


'W^i 


480 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


u 


CHAP,  had  its  sails  caught  the  oceau  breezes,  when  the  English, 
>— ^,— 'Who  had  watched  this  movement  with  a  jealous  eye,  sent 
1765.  Admiral  Boscawen  in  pursuit.     Both  fleets  arrived  nearly 
at  the  same  time  ofl:'  Cape  Race,  but  were  prevented  by  a 
dense  fog,  from  seeing  each  other.     The  larger  part  of  the 
French  fleet,  taking    advantage    of    this  circumstance, 
escaped  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  safely  landed  the  troops, 
with  Dieskau  and  Vaudreuil,  at   Quebec.     Two  vessels, 
however, — the  Alcido  and  the  Lys — were  not  so  fortunate, 
for  on  the  sixth  of  June  they  fell  in  with  the  Dunkirk  and 
the  Defiance  of  the  British  fleet.    The  Alcide  was  com- 
manded by  Hocquart,   and  the  Dunkirk  by  Howe, '  both 
brave  men — and  a  shaip  action   ensued,   which,  lasting 
several  hours,  result'^d  in  the  discomfiture  and  surrender 
of  the  French  men-of-war. '    Meanwhile,  as  the  prospect 
of  a  war  became  more  certain,  and  the  defenceless  condition 
of  the  frontiers  more  apparent,  the  alarm  of  the  colonists 
grew  so  great  as  to  induce  the  lieutenant  governor,  with 
the  advice  of  his  council,  to  convene  the  assembly  on  the 
fourth  of  Feburaiy.     The  opening  message  informed  that 
body  of  the  active  measures  which  his  majesty  was  taking 
for  the  security  of  his  subjects  in  America,  and  of  the 
armament  which  had  already  sailed  under  General  Brad- 
dock.     It  farther  reminded  them  of  the  weak  state  of  the 
frontier  fortifications,  should  the  French  make — which  wiw 
quite  possible — a  descent  upon  the  province.     In  order 
effectually  to  prevent  this,  the  defences  around  the  city  of 
New  York  should  at  once  be  strengthened,   and  other 
works  constructed,  which  the  commander  in  chief,  with  the 
advice  of  his  council  and  the  best  engineers,  might  think 
advisable.     The  northern   frontier  next  demanded  their 
serious  attention.     The  defences  of  the  city  of  Albany 
were  in  such  a  deplorable  state,  as  to  excite  the  derision 
even  of  the  Indians ;  and  yet  should  that  city  be  taken, 
there  was  nothing  to  prevent  the  French  from   sweeping 

'Afterward  Lord  Howe. 


LIPB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


481 


down  into  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania.  Albany  should  chap. 
therefore  be  fortified  without  delay,  and  a  strong  fort  built  v-^—' 
at  some  advanced  place  on  the  Hudson,  whence  scouts  ^^^^• 
could  be  sent  out  to  gain  intelligence  and  give  timely  notice 
of  the  enemy's  approach.  All  these  preparations,  added 
the  message,  would  require  a  large  amount  of  money ;  but 
as  security  could  not  be  purchased  at  too  high  a  price,  it 
hoped  that,  throwing  aside  any  ill-timed  parsimony,  they 
would  provide  such  funds  as  would  be  sufficient  to  defray  all 
expenses  necessary  for  their  own  preservation.  The  assem- 
bly needed  no  urging  to  prompt  action.  Its  alarm  was  too 
great,  and  the  enemy  too  near  for  it  to  be  indifferent  to 
the  exigency  of  the  occasion.  It  immediately,  in  defiance 
of  the  royal  instructions,  authorized  an  issue  of  forty-five 
thousand  pounds  in  bills  of  credit,  to  be  sunk  at  stated 
intervals  by  a  tax ;  prohibited  any  supplies  of  provisions 
from  being  sent  to  the  French  colonies;  and  made  the 
militia  subject  to  such  penalties  ^s  should  l>o  ipiposed  by 
the  executive.  ,     ,  •  .      . 

Meanwhile,  the  Mohawks  of  the  upper  and  lower  castles 
became  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  hostilities,  which  would 
let  loose  the  hordes  of  French  Indians  upon  their  castles, 
now  entirely  defenceless.  Hearing  of  Colonel  Johnson's 
intended  departure  for  New  York  to  take  his  seat  at  the 
council  board,  they  hastened  to  transmit  by  him  a  i^essage 
to  the  executive,  representing  their  unprotected  cojadition 
und  beseeching  aid.  Their  appeal  was  delivered  by  the 
colonel,  shortly  after  his  arrival  in  the  city,  to  Mr.  De  l*an- 
cey  in  person,  who  communicated  it  to  his  council  on  the 
twenty-eighth.  The  letter  was  addressed  to  the  lieutenant 
governor,  and  was  as  follows : 

^'■Brother  Goragh:  "When  we  had  the  pleasure  of  seejng 
you  last  summer  at  Albany,  the  air  seemed  to  be  pleasant 
and  the  sky  serene  and  clear,  but  to  our  great  concern  we  now 
observe  thick  and  heavy  clouds  arising  on  all  sides  and 
driving  this  way,  which  seems  to  portend  a  storm.  Should 
it  blow,  we  are  very  apprehensive  of  danger,  having  no 


i; 


61 


lit  1    'Ay.-. 


482 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


f4f 

I. 


V'i' 


f 

t     1 

f  I 


CHAP,  shelter.  To  you,  therefore,  Brother,  (in  whose  power  it  is 
v-v— '  to  draw  or  disperse  those  dark  clouds)  we  make  known  our 
1756.  fears,  not  doubting  but  you,  out  of  a  brotherly  affection, 
will  either  remove  them  or  ease  the  minds  of  our  old  and 
young  people,  or  cover  us  from  the  impending  storm."  The 
council,  after  considering  this  letter,  wisely  resolved  that 
to  comply  with  their  wishes  would  be  a  better  argument  in 
dissuading  them  from  yielding  to  the  intrigues  of  the 
French,  than  all  the  words  that  could  be  used,  and  deter- 
mined forthwith  to  have  both  their  castles  stockaded  and 
such  other  works  erected  as  would  best  protect  their 
uncovered  old  men.  They  also  authorized  the  executive 
to  draw  upon  the  contingent  fund  for  this  purpose ;  and 
directed  the  colonel  to  estimate  the  expert  -of  such  works 
as  the  Indians  desired,  and  construct,  on  !  .s  arrival  home, 
such  defences  as  in  his  judgment  might  bo  deemed  advis- 
able. 

While  the  assembly  was  sitting.  Governor  Shirley,  who 
had  for  a  long  time  been  in  correspondence  with  the  min- 
istry upon  the  importance  and  feasibility  of  conquering 
Canada,  sent  commissioners  to  the  several  colonies,  urging 
them  to  assist  him  in  his  long  cherished  project  of  driving 
the  French  from  the  continent  of  America.  Thomas  Pow- 
nal,  *  the  commissioner  sent  for  this  purpose  to  the  colony 
of  New  York,  met  with  so  lukewarm  a  reception  from  De 
Lancey,  as  to  lead  him  to  seek  sympathy  from  the  party 
opposed  to  the  latter.  This  party  had  now  acquired  con- 
siderable influence,  and  as  Mr.  Pownal  received  from  it 
cordial  support,  the  lieutenant  governor  thought  it  not 
advisable  to  create  any  more  ill  feeling  against  himself,  by 
provoking  it  farther.  He  accordingly  sent  down  to  the 
assembly,  upon  the  twenty-sixth,  a  special  message,  in  which 
he  requested  supplies  for  the  quartering  of  the  troops,  and 
informed  it  that  the  garrison  at  Oswego  was  in  danger 
of  succumbing  through  want,  as   Colonel  Johnson  had 

1  Brother  of  John  Powual,  at  that  time  one  qf  tlie  secretaries  to  the 
board  of  trade. 


u 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


488 


,lio  B.eoretariea  to  the 


refused  any  longer  to  provision  that  post,  while  the  debt  chap. 
which  he  had  already  incurred  in  supplying  it  was  unpaid,  ^-v-' 
Accompanying  the  message,  were  copies  of  Mr.  Shirley's  ^'''^ 
letters,  and  he  urged  it  to  take  the  suggestions  therein 
contained  into  consideration.     On  the  same  day,  Mr.  John 
Chambers  was  sent  by  the  council  to  request  the  house  to 
unite  in  a  joint  committee  to  confer  with  Mr.  Pownal  upon 
the  suggestions  made  by  Governor  Shirley.     This  was 
acceded  to,  and  after  the  committee  had  met  the  Massa- 
chusetts commissioner,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  "  that 
the  scheme  was  well  concerted,  and  that  if  Massachusetts 
would  raise  fourteen  hundred  men,  they  ought  to  find  eight 
hundred,  and  that  they  would  agree  to  contribute  to  a 
general  fund  for  the  common  charge  of  the  war."    Before 
however  this  resolution  should  be  acted  upon,  it  was  pro- 
posed to  submit  it  to  General  Braddock  for  his  approval ; 
and  the  house  adjourned  on  the  twenty-ninth  until  his 
opinion  could  be  obtained  by  Mr.  De  Lancey,  who  had  been 
called  to  confer  with  that  general  and  five  of  the  colonial 
governors  at  Alexandria.^ 

This  conference  had  been  called  by  Braddock  shortly 
after  his  arrival  in  Virginia,  to  meet  upon  the  fourteenth 
day  of  April.'  Its  object  was  to  devise  measures  for  a 
vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  against  the  French.  Yet 
at  the  same  time  it  was  distinctly  understood  that  Canada 
was  not  to  be  invaded,  but  only  French  encroachments 
along  the  frontier  repelled. 

Four  separate  expeditions  were  planned  by  Braddock 
and  the  royal  governors — the  first  for  the  complete  reduc- 
tion of  Nova  Scotia,  was  to  be  commanded  by  Lawrence, 
the  lieutenant  governor  of  that  province ;  a  second  was  to 
recover  the  Ohio  valley,   under  Braddock  himself;  the 

'The  colonial  goTernors  present  upon  this  occasion,  were,  De  Lancey  of 
New  York,  Shirley  of  Massachusetts,  Morris  of  Pennsylvania,  Sharpe  of 
Maryland,  and  Dinwiddie  of  Virginia.  Commodore  Keppel  was  also  present. 

'Braddock  sailed  from  Cork  with  one  thousand  men  upon  the  fourteenth 
day  of  January,  and  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  the  latter  part  of  February. 


y{ 


m 


LIP*  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BAM. 


ottMF.  third,  under  command  of  Shirley,  was  to  expel  the  French 
s.^v--'^^^  Fort  Niagara,  and  form  a  junction  with  Braddock's 
17M.  foj^eg  *  artd  the  fourth  was  to  be  given  to  Colonel  Johnson, 
having  for  its  object  the  capture  of  Crown  Point.    This 
last  appointment   was  made  through  the  influence  of 
Governor  Shirley.     The)  energy  which  Colonel  Johnson 
had  displayed  in  his  command  6f  the  militia  of  New  York, 
tind  thiB  Vigor  which  he  had  infused  into  that  branch  of  the 
public  setvice,  first  led  Shirley  to  desire  that  he  should 
hftte  the  cotnmAnd  of  the  expedition. '    Early  in  this  year, 
he  had  antiounced  to  the  general  assembly  of  Massachu- 
setts, tittder  a  pledge  of  secrecy,  his  intention  to  appoint 
Johnson  to  the  command  of  the  expedition  against  Crown 
Point;'  and  at  this  conference.  General  Braddock,  at  his 
sugjg^estioti,  gave  the  colonel  the  command,  with  the  rank 
bf  tnajbr  general.    The  latter  was  to  have  under  him  the 
ptovincial  militia  and  the  warriors  of  the  Six  Nations ; 
tliid  his  ackilo\vledged  influence  over  the  latter  especially, 
gave  Jifottiise  bf  success.    General  Johnson  held  his  com. 
mission  from  the  governors  of  those  colonies  that  Were  to 
lumish  the  provincials — the  respective  quotas  of  each  being 
fixed  at  Alexandria. ' 
(       '   Atthi^  cottfereiice,  Johnson,  whd  Was  also  present  at 
i       tlife  solicitation  of  General  Braddock,  received  from  the 
!        latteif  the  appointment  of  superintendant  of  Indian  affairs, 
I        With  full  power  to  treat  with  the  Confederate  Nations,  and 
*        to  secure  them  and  their  allies  to  the  British  interest. 
Forthe  Jhrtherance  bf  this  latter  object,  Braddock  advanced 
iJ'ohnson  two  thousand  pounds,  which,  it  was  understood, 
should  be  reimbursed  to  him  by  the  colonies,  according  to 
the  proportions  which  had  been  settled  upon  by  the  com- 
missioners, the  previous  summer  at  Albany. 

immediately  upon  Johnson's  return,  he  sent  belts  of 
wampum  to  all  the  castles  of  the  Confederate  Nations,  now 

^Miannwript  letter:  Shirley  to  Johnson. 
"'  '•Letter  to  a  Nobleman.     Jfia««.  Hit.  Col.    '''   '  ■>'       ,'     ; 

■Johnson's  oomtaission  from  Oorernor  Fhirley  as  major  general,  is  dated 
the  16th  April  of  the  present  year. 


I  major  general,  is  dated 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


485 


increased  to  nine, '  informing  them  of  a  grand  council  chap. 
which  he  proposed  to  hold,  and  desiring  that  they  would  v-v^ 
meet  him  at  Mount  Johnson  with  all  possible  dispatch.  ^'^^' 
The  Indians  did  not  require  urging  to  attend.     The  news 
that  their  brother  Warraghiyagey  had  again  been  raised 
up  among  them,  spread  like  wild-fire ; '  and  in  a  very  short 
time,  in  response  to  his  call,  over  eleven  hundred  Indians 
of  every  age  and  sex,  assembled  at  the  place  designated. 
So  unprecedented  and  unexpected  was  the  number  present 
— by  far  the  largest  assemblage  of  Indians  ever  before 
convened — that  Johnson,  as  well  as  his  larder,  was  com- 
pletely taken  by  surprise. 

On  the  twenty-first  of  June  he  opened  the  council  by  a 
speech,  which  was  interpreted  to  the  Indians  by  Red  Head, 
the  chief  sachem  of  the  Onondagas. '  In  this  address  the 
Indians  were  informed  of  the  arrival  of  General  Braddock, 
who  had  come  with  "  a  large  number  of  armed  men,  great 
guns,  and  other  implements  of  war,"  to  protect  those  Indians 
against  the  French,  who  remained  firm  in  their  attachment 
to  the  English.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  the  speaker 
also  took  occasion  to  inform  them  in  their  own  poetical  lan- 
guage, of  his  late  appointment  from  General  Braddock. 
"  The  tree,"  said  he,  "  which  in  your  public  speeches  and 
private  applications  to  me,  you  have  so  often  and  so 
earnestly  desired  might  be  again  set  up,  is  now  raised  and 
fixed  in  the  earth  by  so  powerful  a  hand,  that  its  roots  will 
take  a  firm  and  deep  footing,  and  its  branches  be  a  comfort- 
able and  extensive  shade  for  you  and  all  your  allies  to  take 
shelter  under  it.    And  by  this  belt,  I  now  invite  you  and  all 

^By  taking  into  the  covenant  chain  the  Tiederigoenes,  Schanadarigh- 
roenes  and  Delawares. 

'The  Indians  appear  in  extreme  good  humor,  and  mightily  pleased  at 
your  having  solely  the  superintendenoy  of  their  affairs."  Man UBcript  let- 
ter: Colonel  Stoddard  to  General  Johnson,  June  13th,  1756. 

^Although  Johnson  was  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  Indian  tongue,  and 
could  have  spoken  to  them  directly  in  their  own  language,  yet  it  was  always 
considered  by  the  Indians  as  etiquette  to  be  addressed  at  a  formal  conference 
through  a  third  person. — Manuicriptt  o/  Sir  William  Johmo*. 


Il  '. 


I  '1^ 


486 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  your  allies  to  come  and  sit  under  this  tree,  where  you  may 


...   tl  = 


■.  4.   -I 


■I' 

41 


•V,'  ' 


'  freely  open  your  hearts  and  get  all  your  wounds  healed.  I 
1765.  (Jq^  Brethren,  at  the  same  time,  remove  the  embers  which 
remain  at  Albany,  and  rekindle  the  fire  of  council  and  friend- 
ship at  this  place ;  and  this  tire  I  shall  make  of  such  wood 
as  will  give  the  clearest  light  and  greatest  warmth,  and  I 
hope  it  will  prove  comfortable  and  useful  to  all  such  as  will 
come  and  light  their  pipes  at  it,  and  dazzle  and  scorch  all 
those  who  are  ormay  be  enemies  to  it."  In  conclusion,  they 
were  informed  that  he  had  a  message  to  give  them  from 
General  Braddock,  and  also  presents  which  the  king  had 
sent  them  by  that  warrior.  These  he  would  deliver  to  them 
in  a  day  or  two,  together  with  a  speech  of  his  own. 

On  the  twenty-third,  however,  the  Indians  having 
informed  Johnson  that  they  were  desirous  to  answer  his 
late  speech,  he  consented  to  put  off  the  delivery  of  the 
one  he  had  promised  for  that  day,  and  listen  to  theirs. 
Accordingly  Heudrik  rose,  and  addressing  his  brother 
warriors,  announced  that  in  accordance  with  their  ancient 
custom,  the  speaker  at  a  council  was  always  chosen  from 
either  the  Mohawks,  Onondagas,  or  Cayugas,  in  deference 
to  their  being  the  elder  brothers  of  the  Confederacy ;  and 
he  therefore  gave  them  notice  that  Brother  Kaghsuaghtioni 
(Red  Head)  would  be  the  speaker  on  this  occasion.*  p.,;^^^ 
The  answer  of  this  sachem  was,  in  its  principal  features, 
an  expression  of  satisfaction  for  the  restoration  of  Johnson. 
The  Six  Nations,  he  said,  had  long  been  in  darkness,  and 
now  were  extremely  obliged  to  the  king  their  father,  for 
restoring  to  them  that  clear  and  comfortable  light  which 
in  old  times  cheered  their  forefathers,  by  appointing  liiiii 
to  the  sole  management  of  their  affairs — ^who  had  always 
treated  them  kindli/  and  honestly,  and  whom  they  lookod 
upon  as  their  own  flesh  and  blood.  As  to  the  iire  at 
Albany,  it  was  so  low  and  bad  that  they  could  not  even 

»ln  the  private  council  of  the  sachems  held  in  reference  to  the  reply  (o 
bo  given  to  Johnson's  speech,  Hendrik  had  been  nominated  as  their  spuaUci-, 
but  h9  dfolined  in  favor  of  Bed  Head. 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


487 


find  a  spark  with  which  to  light  ft  pip^.     "  "We  look  on  you,  chap. 
Brother,"  concluded  the  orator,  "  as  the  king,  our  father's  w^ 
representative.    "We  are  under  your  direction  and  dispo-  ^^^^' 
sition,  and  the  fire  you  have  kindled  here,  as  well  as  that 
at  Onondaga,  we  will  cherish,  and  all  other  fires  we 
thus  kick  away,  as  unnatural  and  hateful  to  us."    Here, 
suiting  the  action  to  the  word.  Bed  Head  gave  a  violent 
kick.     Then  presenting  to  General  Johnson  a  belt  of  wam- 
pum, he  bowed  three  times  very  low,  and  sat  down  amid 
an  universal  shout  of  approval. 

As  soon  as  the  Onondaga  orator  had  finished,  the  chief 
sachem  of  the  Oneidas  came  ibrward,  and  presenting  a 
boy  to  Johnson  and  to  the  Indians,  announced  the  death 
of  one  of  their  sachems,  and  asked  permission  to  raise  up 
this  lad  in  his  place,  and  confer  on  him  the  name  of  the 
deceased.  The  general  thereupon,  taking  the  boy  from 
his  hand  as  a  token  that  he  was  pleased  with  the  selection, 
told  him  that  if  the  sachems  of  his  nation  would  introduce 
the  boy  on  the  morrow,  he  would  clothe  him  as  became  a 
chief.  The  Indians  were  then  thanked  for  the  cordial  man- 
ner in  which  they  had  responded  to  his  speech,  and  notified 
that  the  firing  of  two  cannon  would  be  the  signal  of  his 
being  prepared  to  answer  their  speech,  when  he  hoped 
that  all  of  them  "  great  and  small,  would  be  in  attendance 
to  hear  what  he  had  to  say."      '  '  -:.?;?ifi»i  .'f^i.-.-;.l\  iw.."/./! 

On  the  twenty-fourth,  the  sachems  and  warriors  of  the 
nine  cantons  having  assembled,  Johnson  opened  his  speech 
by  pointing  impressively  to  four  large  volumes  of  Indian 
records  which  lay  on  a  table  before  him — "  These  are," 
said  he,  "  the  records  of  the  many  solemn  treaties  which 
have  passed  between  your  forefathers  and  your  brothers, 
the  English.  They  testify  that  upon  our  first  acquaintance 
we  shook  hands,  and  finding  we  should  be  useful  to  one 
another,  entered  into  a  covenant  of  brotherly  love  and 
mutual  friendship.  *  *  *  And  now  my  brethren,  I  ask 
you,  and  I  desire  every  man  present  to  put;  his  hand  on  his 
heart  and  ask  himself  seriously  this  question;  who  fiave 


JV,";V 


;  1 

I-     ! 

■J 
r     'if 


488 


LIFB  OF  SIB  WILUAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


f-  1 


i.",7 


It 

II'  '  I 


OTAP.  Ae^M,  who  are  the  friends  and  brethren  of  the  Five  Confederate 
^-v-'  Nations  and  their  allies  f  the  English  or  the  French  ?  Docs  it 
1765.  lequire  any  time  to  consider  ?  does  it  require  any  argument 
to  determine?  If  you  can  be  one  moment  in  doubt,  I  must 
tell  you,  you  will  not  act  like  the  children  of  those  brave 
and  honest  men,  whom  you  call  your  forefathers,  but  like 
Frenchmen  in  the  shape  of  the  Five  Nations.  Aro  you 
indeed  our  Brethren?  Are  you  the  children  of  our 
ancient  friends  and  brothers  ?  Are  you  those  sachems  and 
warriors  of  the  Five  Confederate  Nations,  whom  the  great 
king  of  England,  the  best  and  most  upright  prince  in  the 
world,  loves  and  honors  aa  his  wise,  his  warlike  and  dutiful 
children?  *  *  *  Stand  by  your  Brethren  the  English — dou't 
break  your  covenant  chain  with  them ;  let  not  the  French 
boastings  or  lies  deceive  you.  The  English  have « indeed 
been  long  asleep,  but  now  they  are  thoroughly  awake : 
they  are  slow  to  spill  blood,  but  when  they  begin,  they  are 
like  an  angry  wolf,  and  the  French  will  fly  before  them  like 

deer."*-*'!  «;  ,iud  mnoh  r>}fit,>-w  od  ,'tf(xtwm  Mi  fio  7f..i  -..i 
After  the  Indian  warriors  had  been  wrpnght  up  by 
these  stirring  appeals  to  the  highest  pitch  of  frenzy,  Johu- 
soa  informed  them  that  he  had  received  a  miessage  from 
the  Half  Xing,  stating  that  their  brethren  southward  had 
already  offered  their  services  to  General  Braddock.  This 
being  the  case,  continued  he,  will  you  allow  your  southern 
brethren  to  outstrip  you  in  zeal  and  bravery?  No,  rather 
set  them  an  example.  If  you  desire  to  treat  me  as  a 
brother,  go  with  me.  "  My  war-kettle  is  on  the  fire,  my 
canoe  is  ready  to  put  in  the  water,  my  gun  is  loaded,  my 
sword  by  my  side,  and  my  axe  is  sharpened.    By  this  large 

>In  the  first  rough  manuscript  draught  of  this  speech,  in  Johnson's  own 
hand-writing,  now  before  me,  the  reading  is  "angry  bear,"  instead  of 
"  anyry  wolf,"  as  it  is  written  in  the  speech  published  in  the  N.  V.  Col.  Dot.. 
The  expression  in  the  text,  however,  is  the  most  forcible.  The  wolf  fre- 
quently preys  on  the  deer;  the  bear,  rarely,  if  ever — the  food  of  the  bear, 
especially  in  the  northern  wilderness  of  New  York,  being  chiefly  berries 
and  young  twigs.  Johnson  probably  altered  the  first  expression  in  the 
last  draught.  t 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


489 


i.    By  this  large 


belt,  therefore," — at  the  eame  time  handing      i  Sachem  chaf. 
Abraham  a  war-belt — "  I  call  on  you  to  raise  up  like  hon- w^L- 
est  and  brave  men,  and  join  your  brethren  and  me  ogainst  ^T^' 
our  common  enemy,  and  by  it,  I  confirm  the  assurances  I 
have  given  you."         lovj'ru.  litv."/,  Ui\:nf  tivi/rcf 

The  following  day,  the  speech  of  General  Braddock  was 
delivered  to  the  Indians  by  Johnson.  The  latter  threw 
into  its  delivery  all  the  fire  and  energy  of  which  he  was 
master,  and  at  its  conclusion  flung  down,  in  the  general's 
name,  the  war-belt.  It  was  immediately  picked  up  by  an 
Oneida  sachem,  and,  at  the  same  time,  Arent  Stevens,  the 
interpreter,  began  the  war  dance,  in  the  chorus  of  which 
he  was  joined  by  all  the  sachems  present.  A  large  tub 
of  punch  was  thereupon  brought  forward  for  the  Indians  to 
drink  the  king's  health,  and  the  council  broke  up  for  the 

day.' 

The  result  of  this  council  was  flattering.  Although  of 
late,  the  activity  of  the  French  had  won  over  several  chief 
warriors  of  the  upper  castles,  among  whom  was  Bed  Head, 
yet  their  minds  were  so  mollified  by  the  exertions  of  John- 
son, that  he  was  able  to  write  to  the  lords  of  trade  shortly 
after,  "  that  there  were  very  few  amongst  the  whole  Con- 
federacy, who,  in  the  present  disputes  between  the  French 
and  our  crown,  do  not  sincerely  wish  us  success,  and  are 
disposed  to  assist  our  arms."         ■  ii.<.  >  •>    i  Hvt.i!  irt  >vi?  vi^ 


As  soon  as  the  plans  of  the  four  campaigns  had  been 
definitely  arranged  at  Alexandria,  Shirley  hastened  to 
Boston  to  prepare  for  the  expedition  under  his  command ; 
to  expedite  the  departure  of  the  provincials  who  were  to 
join  General  Johnson's  command;  and  to  urge  forward  the 
troops  destined  for  Nova  Scotia.    He  was  detained,  how- 


>  The  efforts  of  Johnson  with  the  Indians  upon  this  occasion  were  not 
confined  merely  to  his  public  interviews.  He  labored  incessantly  with  them 
in  private ;  and  finally  prevailed  upon  the  Six  Nations  to  send  a  oMssagip 
to  those  of  the  Oaondagas  who  had  settled  at  La  Presentation,  and  (^Isq  toi 
the  Caughnawagaa,  urging  them  to  remain  at  least  neutral  in  ^h^  coming 
struggle.— iV^.  F.  Col.  Doc,  vi. 

62 


490 


LIFE   OF  8IR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


17M. 


W-rii 


^rf 


CHAP,  ever,  a  few  days  in  New  York,  while  engaged  in  removing 
'  some  objections  which  De  Lancoy  had  raised  to  the  form 
of  Johnson's  commission ;  and  also  iu  Connecticut,  where 
ho  tarried  to  hurry  forward  the  provincial  troops  from  that 
province.  Having  at  length  arrived  in  Boston,  he  worked 
with  so  much  diligence  that  the  troops  for  Nova  Scotia, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  "Winslow,  were  soon  on 
their  way;  and  having  seen  them  faii-ly  started,  he  re- 
turned to  New  York,  and  sailed  for  Albany  on  the  fourth 
of  July,— his  own  regiment  having  preceded  him  by  a  few 
days.' 

Lieutenant  Governor  Pe  Lancey  likewise  hastened  from 
Alexandria  to  New  York,  and  having  convened  his  legis- 
lature, informed  it  in  a  short  me.-:dage,  on  the  twenty-third 
of  April,  that  General  Braddocic  had  given  his  assent  to 
Governor  Shirley's  plan,  and  urged  it  to  act  on  the  resolu- 
tion of  the  joint  committee.  The  assembly,  now  thoroughly 
aroused,  entered  with  alacrity  into  the  proposed  expedition. 
Bills  were  immediately  passed  for  levying  and  supplying 
eight  hundi*ed  men  to  act  under  General  Johnson  in  erect- 
ing forts  near  Cro  vn  Point,  and  for  impressing  ship  car- 
penters and  laboreis  to  construct  boats  and  other  articles 
that  might  be  necessary  for  the  expedition.  h-  .;!,.: 

On  the  twenty-seventh,  in  another  message,  the  assem- 
bly were  informed  that  Connecticut  had  consented  to  fur- 
nish three  of  the  eight  companies  at  the  expense  of  New 
York,  and  that  a  loan  of  a  sufficient  number  of  arms  to 
equip  the  entire  eight  companies  had  been  requested  of 
Governor  Dinwiddle.  In  case,  however,  the  executive 
should  be  disappointed  in  obtaining  a  sufficient  quantity, 
it  was  suggested  that  provision  should  be  made  for  supply- 
ing the  deficiency.  Inasmuch,  also,  as  it  had  been  agreed 
at  Alexandria  that  presents  should  be  given  to  the  Indians, 
it  was  thought  that  money  should  be  appropriated  for  that 
purpose,  and  likewise  for  the  expenses  of  Major  General 
Johnson,  suitable  to  his  rank.     The  assembly  responding 

>  M<u».  Hit.  Col.,  Til. 


LITK   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART.  4$^ 

promptly  to  these  snggestions,  agreed  to  give  fifty  pounds  cHAf 
as  their  share  toward  the  pay  of  the  workmen  employed  v-^ 
in  erecting  forts;  four  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  for  Indian  ^'^' 
presents ;   and  fifty  pounds  to  Mtyor  General  Johnson 
for  his  table — at  the  same  time  granting  as  much  to  the 
colonel  of  their  own  regiment. '       -      _,.......;    ^u.:.w .. . 

While  the  lieutenant  governor  and  the  assembly  of  New 
York  were  thus  actively  engaged  in  preparing  to  meet 
their  share  of  the  expenses  of  the  coming  hostilities,  the 
expedition  under  Colonel  Winslow,  for  the  capture 
of  the  two  French  forts  in  Acadia,  had  already  sailed. 
At  the  head  of  the  bay  of  Fundy  the  New  England  troops 
were  joined  by  Colonel  Monckton  with  three  hundred 
regulars,  and  a  small  train  of  artillery,  and  the  forces 
now  increased  to  about  eighteen  hundred  men,  appeared 
on  the  second  of  June,  before  Bcausejour.  De  Verger, 
the  officer  in  command  of  that  fort,  although  having  a 
plentiful  supply  of  ammunition  and  artillery,  yet,  with  a 
strange  lack  of  energy,  took  no  pains  to  prevent  the 
English  from  disembarking.  A  day  was  spent  by  the  pro- 
vincial troops  in  repose,  and  upon  the  fourth  of  June, 
they  invested  the  fort.  No  sally  or  even  a  respectable 
defense  was  attempted,  and  upon  the  twelfth  the  garrison, 
"weakened  by  fear,  discord  and  confusion,"  surrendered.' 
The  garrison,  by  the  terms  of  the  surrender,  we  o  to  depart 
forthwith  for  Louisburg  ;  and  three  hundred  of  the  Aca- 
dians  who  were  found  aiding  in  the  defense  of  the  fort, 
were  pardoned,  it  appearing  that  they  had  been  forced 
into  the  service  much  against  their  will.  The  fort  was 
garrisoned  with  English  soldiers,  and  its  name  changed  to 
Cumberland  in  honor  of  the  warlike  brother  of  George 
Second. 

Beausejour  having  been  reduced,  the  provincials  next 
directed  their  eflForts  against  the  small  palisaded  fort  on  the 


I 


'Journal  of  the  assembly. 
2  Bancroft. 


Smith. 


402 


ttFB  OP  SIR   WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   DART. 


I-  SI 


r-^" 


%1 . 


t^».  Qasporcan,  pamsoncd  hy  only  twonty  men,  and  forced  its 
^-v-' surrender  on  the  same  tt'i'niH.  At  the  sjimo  time  (yaptain 
^'^'^'  llow  wtwj  dispatched  with  tour  vesselH,  to  attuck  the  French 
fort  on  the  river  8t.  John.  Before  he  arrived,  however, 
the  Fi*ench  takiuj;^  alann,  hnrned  the  tort  and  the  Hiir- 
rounding  dwellings  and  fled,  leaving  a  barren  victory  to 
the  conquerors.' 

Had  the  British  and  the  New  England  commandera  Htoj). 
ped  at  this  point,  the  conquest  thus  achieved  would  have  pre- 
sented an  unsullied  record.  But  not  content  with  a  suc- 
cess which  left  them  in  safe  and  in  undisputed  possession 
of  the  whole  of  Nova  Scotia,  they  next  turned  their  atten- 
tion to  the  dislodgenient  of  the  inhabitants  of  Acadia. 

The  Acftdians  were  a  simple,  harmless,  and  pious  peo- 
ple, leading  a  pastoral  life  among  their  flocks  and  herds ; 
and  tilling  the  soil,  which,  for  more  than  a  century  and  a 
half,  had  descended  from  father  to  son.  Their  morals 
were  pure,  their  temper  cheerful,  and  their  religion  sin- 
cere. The  parish  priest  was  the  sole  arbiter  of  their 
disputes,  and  beyond  him  there  was  no  appeal.  Happy  in 
the  coAsciousnees  of  harboring  no  ill-will  towards  their 
fellow  men,  they  lived  contentedly  in  their  little  cottages ; 
and  while  the  husbands  and  brothers  went  forth  with  the 
early  mom  to  the  severer  labors  of  the  field,  the  wives  and 
sisters  nimbly  plied  the  shuttle,  or  trained  the  woodbine 
and  the  honey-suckle  over  the  doors  of  their  peaceful 
homes.  Their  happiness  was  soon  to  be  rudely  shattered. 
The  fertile  fields  and  rich  meadows  of  the  Aondians, 
brought  into  the  highest  state  of  cultivation  by  their  own 
industrj',  had  long  been  coveted  for  the  crown  by  the 
governor  of  Nova  Scotia ;  and  regarding  this  as  a  favorap 
ble  opportunity  for  securing  their  possession,  he  lost  no 
time  in  thus  representing  it  to  the  ministry.*  His  repre- 
sentations were  but  too  successful,  and  under  the  flimsy 
pretext,  that  to  allow  so  large  a  body  of  French  to  reside 


>  Bancroft. 

>  Lieutenant  OoTernor  Lawrence  to  the  lords  of  trade,  Aug.  1,  1754. 


Lira  or  SIR  WILLIAM  J0nK805,    DART. 


408 


ide,  Aug.  1,  1764. 


in  Acadia,  would  render  inflccure  the  poggefl»ion  of  Nova  chap. 
Scotia,  it  was  determined  to  send  adrift  the  entire  colony.  v,>,^J^ 
Accordingly  a  proclamation  was  issued  commrnding  the  ^^''^• 
'\ialo8  of  all  ages  to  assemble  at  their  several  villages  on 
ihe  iitlh  of  Heptember.  Utterly  unsuspicious,  in  the  sim- 
plicity of  their  hearts,  of  any  hostile  intent,  four  hundred 
and  eighteen  unarmed  men  assembled  at  Grand  I'r^,  one 
of  the  places  designated.  As  soon  as  they  had  been  like 
a  flock  of  sheep  huddled  tog  ther  in  the  church,  the  doors 
were  closed  and  secured,  and  it  was  told  them  by  Colonel 
Winslow,  that  all  their  lands,  houses  and  live  stock  were 
confiscated  to  the  crown,  and  that  they  were  to  be  removed 
immediately  from  the  province.  They  were,  however, 
"through  the  goodness  of  his  majesty," — to  be  permitted 
to  take  with  them  their  money  and  as  much  of  their 
household  goods  as  would  not  encumber  the  vessels  iu 
which  they  were  to  sail    .-,;i  -i..!  /.,  „..,f  tr  8,..m   .(...b'-.i^  t-f 

It  was  a  sad  day,  when  for  the  last  time  the  Acadiftus 
looked  upon  their  homes  which  for  so  long  had  contained 
all  that  life  holds  dear.  As  the  embarkation  was  in  pro- 
giess,  the  men,  as  thef  marched  to  the  boats,  were  greeted 
with  the  blessings  of  the  women  and  children,  who 
kneeling,  joined  with  them  in  *' praying,  and  singing 
hymns."  Although  Colonel  Winslow  was  a  humane  man, 
and  exercised  as  much  kindness  as  was  consistent  with 
his  orders,  yet  it  is  to  be  feared  that  the  jSCew  England 
troops,  actuated  by  that  same  intolerance  which  caused 
their  ancestors  to  burn  out  the  tongues  of  Quakers,  enter- 
ed into  this  horrid  work  with  alacrity.  As  there  was  not 
a  sufficient  number  of  transports  to  carry  them  all  at  one 
time,  the  women  and  children  were  left  behind  until  they 
could  be  taken  oft'  in  other  vessels.  "  The  embarkation 
of  the  inhabitants  goes  on  but  slowly,"  wrote  the  brut.il 
Monckton  ;  "  the  most  part  of  the  wives  of  the  men  we 
have  prisoners  are  gone  oft'  with  their  children,  in  hopes  I 
would  not  send  oft'  their  husbands  without  them."  They 
were  indeed  ]>itterly  deceived ;  and  ae  the  last  anchor  was 


V 


'  I 


^i! 


494 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  weighed,  and  the  white  sails,  filling  with  the  bieeze,  bore 
v_.,_'  their  loved  ones  from  the  sight  of   those  that  were  left 
1766.  behind,  one  universal  wail  of  anguish  rose  up  to  heaven. 
Cruel  was  the  fate  of  these  unfortunates.    Full  seven 
thousand  of  them  were  distributed  throughout  the  colo- 
nies.    Some  were  sent  to  Georgia  and  South  Carolina,  and 
others  to  New  England,  whore  scorning  to  receive  assist- 
ance from  those  who  had  so  cruelly  wronged  them,  they 
died  in  obscurity    and  indigence.'     For    many  months 
afterward  the  provincial  newspapers  contained  advertise- 
ments of   husbands    seeking  their  wives,   lovers    their 
betrothed,  and  brothers  their  sisters.     A  few,  after  weary 
months  of  wandering,  found  again  their  lost  ones ;  but  the 
majority  never  again  beheld' the  faces  of  those  whom  they 
loved. 

Thus  was  consummated  a  deed,  the  most  needless,  wanton 
and  fiendish,  that  it  has  ever  been  the  lot  of  an  historian  to 
record, — a  deed  which  has  left  upon  the  reign  of  George 
Second,  and  upon  all  those  who  were  engaged  in  this 
expedition,  a  stain  so  dark  and  damning,  as  needed  not 
the  pen  of  one  of  our  most  loved  poets,  to  render  ita 
memory  lasting,  so  long  as  the  sanctity  of  the  family  tie 
shall  remain  in  the  hearts  of  men.* 


General  Braddock  had  intended  to  have  advanced  against 
Fort  Duquesne  in  the  early  part  of  spring.  Difficulties, 
however,  in  procuring  a  suitable  number  of  wagons  and  a 
proper  supply  of  provisions,  retarded  his  movements  so 
greatly,  that  he  was  not  ready  to  start  until  June.  On  the 
tenth  of  that  month,  with  Washington  as  one  of  his  aids, 
he  left  Wills  creek  at  the  head  of  twenty-two  hundred  men. 
The  roughness  of  the  roads  and  the  impossibility  of  hasten- 
ing forward  the  wagons, — loaded  not  only  with  the  neces- 

^Qrahaiue. 

''English  writers  have  indeed  attempted  to  justify  this  cruelty  on  the 
ground  of  "  military  necessity ;"  but  tho  duty,  which  each  one  seems  to 
consider  himself  under  to  explain  it  away  by  elaborate  reasoning,  is  only  ft 
confession  of  the  utter  needlessness  and  inhumanity  of  the  act. 


LBT. 

the  breeze,  bore 
se  that  were  left 
)8e  up  to  heaven, 
ites.  Full  seven 
)ughout  the  colo- 
uth  Carolina,  and 

to  receive  assist- 
)nged  them,  they 
>r  many  months 
tained  advertise- 
'68,  lovers    their 

few,  after  weary 
lost  ones ;  but  the 
those  whom  they 

t  needless,  wanton 
:  of  an  historian  to 
reign  of  George 
e  engaged  in  this 
ng,  as  needed  not 
jets,  to  render  its 
of  the  family  tie 


e  advanced  against 
ring.  Difficulties, 
r  of  wagons  and  a 
his  movements  so 
itil  June.  On  the 
as  one  of  his  aids, 
-two  hundred  men. 
issibilityof  hastcn- 
ily  with  the  neces- 

jtify  this  cruelty  on  the 
ich  each  one  seems  to 
rate  reasoning,  is  only  a 
,y  of  the  act. 


LIFE  OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


495 


eary  supplies,  but  with  much  unnecessary  baggage,  which  phap. 
the  regular  officers  would  not  consent  to  leave  behind, — w^ 
rendered  the  progress  of  the  troops  slow  and  tiresome.  ^^'^^• 
Under  these  circumstances,  Braddock,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Washington,  pushed  ahead  with  twelve  hundred  picked 
men  lightly  equipped,  while  Colonel  Dunbar,  with  the 
remainder  of  the  troops  and  the  heavy  artillery,  followed 
in  slow  marches.  A.t  length  upon  the  eighth  of  July,  the 
fork  of  the  Monongahela  and  Youghiogheny  was  reached. 
The  next  day's  sun  was  just  appearing  above  the  eastern 
hills,  when  the  army,  having  forded  the  Monongahela, 
pursued  their  journey  along  the  southern  bank  of  that 
river.  Their  polished  helmets  and  rich  trappings,  glittering 
in  the  dewy  foliage  like  so  many  diamonds,  were  in  keeping 
with  the  cheerfulness  visible  upon  each  countenance,  while 
a  fresh  breeze,  which  had  just  sprung  up  infused  new  life 
into  the  jaded  steeds,  who  champed  their  bits,  and  seemed 
scarcely  less  impatient  to  hasten  forward  than  their  riders. 
At  noon  the  river  was  again  forded,  and  the  troops  were 
upon  a  level  plain  which,  extending  for  half  a  mile,  termi- 
nated in  a  gradual  rise  of  ground  to  the  hills  beyond.  The 
road  from  the  fording  place  to  Fort  Duquesne,  was  across 
this  plain  and  up  this  ascent. 

"By  the  order  of  march,  a  body  of  three  hundred  men, 
under  Colonel  Gage,  made  the  advance  party,  which  was 
immediately  followed  by  another  of  two  hundred.  Kext 
came  the  general  with  the  columns  of  artillery,  the  main 
body  of  the  army  and  the  baggage.  At  one  o'clock  the 
whole  had  crossed  the  river,  and  almost  at  this  moment  a 
sharp  firing  was  heard  upon  the  advanced  parties,  who 
were  now  ascending  the  hill,  and  had  proceeded  about  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  termination  of  the  plain.  A  heavy 
discharge  of  musketry  was  poured  in  upon  their  front, 
which  was  the  first  intelligence  they  had  of  the  proximity 
of  an  enemy,  and  this  was  suddenly  followed  by  another 
on  their  right  flank.  They  were  filled  with  the  greatest 
consternation,  as  no  enemy  was  in 


oirrTif 


o  n  <1     f\\ 


»«AA\A  %tAA\^  ■■  ■ 


& 


'f  'm* 


496 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


1766. 


Fr. 


ii 


F«r    * 


c^\p.  seemed  to  proceed  fi'om  an  invisible  foe.    They  fired  in 
<  their  turn,  however,  but  quite  at  random   and   obviously 
without  efl'ect. 

"  The  general  hastened  forward  to  the  relief  of  the 
advanced  parties ;  but,  before  he  could  reach  the  spot 
which  they  occupied,  they  gave  way  and  fell  back  upon 
the  artilleiy  and  the  other  columns  of  the  array,  causing 
extreme  confusion,  and  striking  the  whole  mass  with  such 
a  panic,  that  no  order  could  afterwards  be  restored.  The 
general  and  the  officers  behaved  with  the  utmost  courage, 
and  used  every  effort  to  rally  the  men,  and  bring  tlu  ni  to 
order,  but  all  in  vain.  In  this  state  they  continued  nearly 
three  hours,  huddling  together  in  coniused  bodies,  tiring 
irregularly,  shooting  down  their  own  officers  and  men, 
and  doing  no  particular  harm  to  the  enemy.  The  Yirgiiiia 
provincials  were  the  only  troops  who  seemed  to  retain  ihoir 
senses,  and  they  behaved  with  a  bravery  and  a  resolution 
worthy  of  a  better  fate.  They  adopted  the  Indian  mode, 
and  fought  each  man  for  himself  behind  a  tree.  This  was 
prohibited  by  the  general,  who  endeavored  to  form  his 
men  into  platoons  and  columns,  as  if  they  had  been 
manoeuvring  on  the  plains  of  Flanders.  Meantime  the 
French  and  Indians,  concealed  in  the  ravines  and  behind 
trees,  kept  up  a  deadly  and  unceasing  discharge  of  mus- 
ketry, singling  out  their  objects,  taking  deliberate  aim,  and 
producing  a  carnage  almost  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of 
modern  warfare.  More  than  half  of  the  whole  army  which 
had  crossed  the  river  in  so  proud  an  array  only  three  hours 
before,  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  general  himself 
received  a  mortal  wound,  and  many  of  his  best  officers  fell 
by  his  side."*  s 

Upon  the  fall  of  General  Braddock,  Colonel  Washington 
assumed  the  command,  and  having  succeeded  in  rallying 
the  troops,  fell  back  with  them  in  tolerable  order  upon 
Gi-t's  scttlcnieut,  where  Colonel  Dunbar  was  encamped. 
Here  a  panic  again  seized  tlie  troops,  and  hastily  burning 

1  Washington's  journal,  ii,  469. 


d  hastily  burning 


LIFE  07  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


497 


their  stores  and  destroying  their  artillery,  they  retreated  chap. 
in  the  wildest  confusion  to  Will's  creek,  which  a  second  w^l/ 
time  received  an  army  broken  and  routed  by  the  French.  ^^^• 
The  English  left  on  the  field  dead  seven  hundred  and  four- 
teen privates,  while,  with  the  exception  of  Washington, 
not  an  officer  escaped  unhurt.    The  French  remained  in 
possession  of  the  field,  and  vast  quantities  of  ammunition, 
together  with  six  brays  field  pieces,  four  howitz-carriages, 
and  eleven  small  grenade  mortars.  ^    Their  loss  in  killed 
was  only  three  officers  and  thirty  men. 

Thus  terminated  this  expedition,  from  which  so  much 
had  been  expected,  and  upon  the  result  of  which  the  eyes 
of  both  continents  had  been  turned  in  anxious  solicitude. 
It  was  an  expedition  moreover  lost  through  sheer  folly. 
During  the  march,  Washington  had  repeatedly  urged  his 
commander  to  accept  of  a  body  of  Indians  under  the  Half 
King,  who,  at  the  solicitation  of  Johnson,  had  offered 
themselves  to  serve  as  scouts,'  but  Braddock,  who,  though 
a  brave  man,  was  imperious  and  self-willed,  at  first  refused ; 
and  though  he  finally  accepted  them,  yet  they  were  treated 
with  such  neglect,  that  they  left  in  disgust.  Had  Wash- 
ington*^ advice  been  followed,  so  far  even  as  to  have  sent 
in  advance  of  the  main  body  half  a  dozen  Indians,  the 
calamity  would  not  have  occurred. 

Well  would  it  have  been  for  the  colonists  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Virginia  had  the  effects  of  the  rout  ended  here. 
But  the  French,  when  they  unexpectedly  saw  that  this 
defeat  was  followed  by  the  retreat  of  the  remainder  of  the 
array,  found  themselves  at  liberty  to  resume  the  offensive. 
The  prestige  of  British  troops  among  the  Indians  was 
gone,  and  taking  advantage  of  this,  the  French  prevailed 
ou  several  of  the  Indian  nations  to  take  up  the  hatchet 
against  the  English — a  result  which  was  accomplished  the 

more  readily  fropa  the  fact  that  the  Indians  still  considered 

— , , 1 

>An  account  of  the  battle  of  the  Monongahela. — Parii  Doe.,  x,  808, 
'  Manuscript  letter :  Johnaon  to  General  Cro^hap,  April  28d,  1766. 

63 


I         sr 


■  f ! 


']f^^ 


Jhfi 


498 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


Hi' 


I  ^ 


CHAP,  themselves  aggrieved  by  the  sale  of  their  lands  by  the  Six 
w-v — '  Nations  two  years  before  at  Albany.    Although  a  part  of 
1756.  ^jjg  Shawnees  were  always  perfidious  and  had  declared  for 
the  French  in  the  previous  war,  yet  the  majority  of  that 
nation,  together  with  the  Delawares,  had  always  been 
depended  on  by  the  government  of  Pennsylvania,  to  pre- 
serve the  western  tribes  in  its  interest,  or  at  least  to  prevail 
on  them  to  remain  neutral.    Now,  however,   those  two 
nations,  having  declared  war  against  the  English  with 
great  solemnity,  took  up  the  hatchet  with  alacrity,  and  fell 
with  great  fury  upon  the  settlements,  carrying  on  a  most 
sanguinary  and  cruel  war,  and  burning  and  laying  waste 
all  before  thefti  from  beyond  the  Apalachian  hills  in  Vir- 
ginia to  the  river  Delaware.*     From  the  fact  that  tlie 
Indian  towns  were  scattered  along  both  banks  of  the  Ohio 
and  Delaware,  and  on  both  branches  of  the  Susquehanna, 
the  Indians  were  capable  of  doing  much  mischief;  and 
the  terror  of  the  inhabitants  became  so  great,  that  it  was 
feared,  that  following  the  Blue  Ridge  in  their  desolating 
course,  they  would  fall  upon  the  provinces  of  New  Jersey 
and  New  York* 

The  Susquehanna  and  the  Catawba  tribes  remained  faith- 
ful. Rumors,  however,  becoming  prevalent  that  the 
French  were  tampering  with  the  Southern  Indians,  and  a 
message  being  received  to  that  effect  from  the  chief  warrior 
of  the  Cherokees,  Governor  Glen  held  a  council  among 
the  hills  of  western  Carolina,  with  five  hundred  warriors 
of  that  nation,  with  whom  he  renewed  the  covenant  chain, 
and  obtained  from  them  a  grant  of  lands,  and  also  per- 
mission to  erect  a  fort  on  the  banks  of  the  Savannah  river.'' 


An  evil  star  hung  over  the  expedition  against  Niagara 
from  its  very  inception.     It  was  to  have  started  early  in 

*  Manuscript  letter  ;  Governor  Morris  of  Pennsylvania  to  Governor  Shir- 
ley, 3d  December,  1755. 

'Manuscript  letter:  Governor  Morris  to  Governor  Shirley. 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


499 


es  of  New  Jersey 


the  spring,  but  the  troops,  who  were  to  take  part  in  it,  chap. 
composed  of  Shirley's,  Pepperell's  and  Colonel  Schuyler's  • — ^—- 
regiments,  did  not  arrive  in  Albany  till  early  in  July.     Just  ^'°^- 
as  Shirley   and  Pepperell,   with    their  regiments,    were 
embarking  at  Schenectady  for  Oswego — Colonel  Schuyler's 
regiment  having  preceded  them  by  a  few  days — the  news 
of  Braddock's  defeat  reached  Albany.     The  effect  of  this 
intelligence  was  disastrous  in  the  extreme.     Such  was  the 
terror  excited  by  it,  that  many  of  the  troops  deserted,  and 
so  great  a  number  of  the  bateau  men  went  home,  that  a 
large  portion  of  the  necessary  stores  had  to  be  left  behind, 
while  over  the  spirits  of  all  was  cast  a  deep  gloom.     Tliis 
caused  more  delay,  and  it  was  not  until  the  latter  part  of 
July  that  General  Shirley  was  fairly  on  the  way  to  Oswego, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  twenty-first  of  August. 

At  the  council  held  at  Alexandria  in  the  spring,  it  had 
been  determined  that  Oswego  should  be  reinforced,  and 
that  vessels  should  also  be  built  to  intercept  more  readily 
the  bateaux  of  the  French.  Accordingly,  upon  the  seventh 
of  June,  three  hundred  and  twenty  ship  carpenters  arrived 
at  that  post;  and  at  the  same  time  Captain  Bradstreet 
marched  thither  with  two  companies  to  reinforce  the  garri- 
son. Meanwhile  the  carpenters  worked  so  expeditiously, 
that  when  General  Shirley  arrived,  he  found  several  good 
vessels  already  built  and  ready  for  the  transportation  of 
his  troops  to  Niagara.  More  boats,  however,  had  to  be 
built,  and  weeks  passed  before  a  sufficient  number  for 
transporting  six  hundred  men — all  that  Shirley  proposed 
to  take  with  him — could  be  completed.  Scarcely  were 
they  finished,  when  a  storm  set  in  so  severe  as  to  render  it 
unsafe  for  the  troops  to  venture  on  the  lake  in  open  boats. 
The  storm  abated  upon  the  twenty-sixth  of  September,  but 
hardly  had  the  orders  been  given  for  their  embarkation, 
when  a  succession  of  head  winds  and  tempests  arose,  which 
continued  for  thirteen  days.  Sickness  now  prevailed ;  the 
Indians  dreading  a  voyage  on  the  water,  deserted;  and 
the  season  was  far  advanced.     Under  these  circumstances 


i" « 


.'# 


600 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  a  council  of  war  was  held,  at  which  it  was  the  opinion  of 
s-v— '  all,  that  it  would  be  more  prudent  to  defer  the  expedition 
1756.  yiT^iw  another  year.  Accordingly  on  the  twenty-fourth  of 
October,  General  Shirley,  leaving  Colonel  Mercer  in  com- 
mand of  a  garrison  of  seven  hundred  men,  with  instructions 
to  erect  two  new  forts  for  the  farther  security  of  the  place, 
returned  to  Albany  with  the  residue  of  his  army. 

Two  of  the  expeditions  so  contidently  planned  at  Alexan- 
dria, had  thus  signally  failed.  The  hopes  of  all  the 
colonists  were  now  centered,  in  fearfu^  suspense,  upon  the 
result  of  the  expedition  under  Major  General  Johnson. 
Crown  Point  had  been  strongly  reinforced.  Dieskau,  with 
the  flower  of  the  French  army,  was  watching  with  eagle 
eye  his  movements.    Sh  juld  Johnson  fail  all  hope  is  lost. 


>r;i) 


lUIM 


f   !■> 


.,  rv,fo 


'■■.,..  >     --11!        m; 


Mini 


■,J.'  [i-f 


;,,  IK.i'l  -        -.t:.-  :.    1  >        .    ' 


/  ■   •  ■(.  i>'  r4  -1.    '  ..;. 


.';! 


■J  I' 


I 


CHAPTER   XVI. 
1755. 


u    ,  '(,■ 


By  the  end  of  June,  all  the  forces  destined  for  the  chap. 

•  XVI 

reduction  of  Crown  Point  had  assembled  at  Albany.  They  w^ 
were  co  aposed  chiefly  of  provincial  militia  from  the  colo- 1766. 
nies  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  New  York  had 
contributed  one  regiment  to  the  expedition,  and  New 
Hampshire  had  raised  for  the  same  object,  five  hundred 
sturdy  mountaineers,  and  had  placed  them  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Joshua  Blanchard.^  The  latter  was  first 
sent  by  Governor  "Wentworth  to  the  Connecticut  river  to 
erect  a  fort  c^.  Cohoes,  under  the  impression  that  it  was  on 
his  route  to  Crown  Point.  While  on  the  way,  however, 
advices  being  received  from  Governor  Shirley,  urging  him 
to  hasten  to  Albany,  he  marched  forthwith  for  that  city, 
where  he  arrived  with  his  men,  after  a  tiresome  march 
through  the  woods  by  way  of  Number  Four,  in  time  to 
join  the  rest  of  the  troops. " 

In  the  beginning  of  August,  General  Lyman  was  sent 
forward  with  the  greater  part  of  the  troops,  to  erect  a  fort 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson  river,  at  the  great  carrying- 
place  between  that  river  and  Lake  George,  and  which  after- 
ward received  from  General  Johnson  the  name  of  Fort 
Edward.'  It  was  the  intention  of  Johnson  to  have  gone 
ou  at  the  same  time,  and  he  would  have  done  so,  had  he 
not  been  detained  by  the  leaky  condition  of  the  bateaux, 
and  also  by  difficulties  which  arose  at  this  time  between 
himself  and  Governor  Shirley.    The  author  of  A  Leiler 

'John  Stark,  the  hero  of  Bennington,  was,  at  this  time,  one  of  Blanohard's 
lieutenants. 
'  Munusoript  letter :  Qoyernor  Wentworth  to  Johnson.    See  also,  Belknap. 
'The  fort  was  first  namnd  Fort  Lvman  after  the  builder. 


502 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOUNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  to  a  Nobleman  has  seen  fit  to  misrepresent  so  greatly  the 
V— y— '  origin  of  this  difficulty,  and  the  conduct  of  General  John- 
^^^^-  son  in  this  aft'air,  that  it  is  hut  just  that  the  reader  should 
have  the  benefit  of  an  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  the 
general  upon  this  subject  to  the  board  of  trade.  The  letter 
is  written  from  the  camp  at  Lake  George  shortly  after  his 
arrival : 

"Governor  Shirley,  soon  after  his  arrival  at  Albany,  on 
his  way  to  Oswego,  grew  dissatisfied  with  my  proceedings, 
and  employed  one  Lydius,  of  that  place — a  man  whom  he 
knew,  and  I  told  him  was  extremely  obnoxious  to  me, 
and  the  very  man  whom  the  Indians  had  in  their  public 
meetings  so  warmly  complained  of,  to  oppose  my  interest 
and  management  with  them.  Under  this  man  several  others 
were  employed.  These  persons  went  to  the  Indian  castles, 
and  by  bribes,  keeping  them  constantly  feasting  and  drunk ; 
calumniating  my  character ;  depreciating  my  commission, 
authority  and  management ;  in  short,  by  the  most  licen- 
tious and  abandoned  proceedings,  raised  such  a  confusion 
amongst  the  Indians,  particularly  the  two  Mohawk  castles, 
that  their  sachems  were  under  the  utmost  consternation ; 
sent  deputies  down  to  me  to  know  what  was  the  occasion 
of  all  these  surprising  proceedings ;  that  I  had  told  them 
I  was  appointed  sole  superintendent  of  their  affairs,  which 
had  given  an  universal  satisfaction  through  all  their  nations, 
but  that  now  every  fellow  pretended  to  be  vested  with 
commissions  and  authority.  I  sent  several  messages  and 
the  interpreters  up  to  quiet  their  minds,  for  my  military 
department  would  not  suffer  me  to  leave  Albany,  as  I  was 
about  marching  with  the  troops  under  my  command,  or  I 
would  have  gone  up  and  should  have  soon  arrested  all 

these  violent  measures.  ' 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

*'  I  shall  only  say,  in  general,  that  a  complication  of  more 

scurrilous  falsehoods;  more  base  and  insolent  behavior; 

more  base  and  destructive  measures  to  overset  that  plan  of 

general  harmony,  which  I  had  with  infinite  pains,  and  at 


\l  ! 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BAllT. 


503 


11  great  expense  to  the  public,  so  lately  cstublisliod,  could  chap, 


XVI. 


not  have  taken  place,  than  did  in  the  conduct  of  these 
agents  of  Gc  v.^ nor  Shirley.  I  spoke  of  it  to  Governor  ^^"^ 
Shirley ;  I  wrote  to  him  of  it,  but  without  success.  They 
pleaded  his  authority  for  ail  they  did,  and  said  they  had 
his  commission  ;  and  I  can't  but  presume  that  it  must  have 
been  done  with  his  knowledge  and  consent,  in  which  I  am 
confirmed  in  his  letter  to  me.  ♦  ♦  * 

"  The  reasons,  or  the  pretended  reasons  which  Governor 
Shirley  gives  for  opposing  my  Indian  management  and 
employing  these  persons  is,  that  I  would  not  get  him  some 
Indians  to  escort  him  from  Schenectady  to  Oswego.  I 
had  indeed  mentioned  it  to  some  of  the  sachems,  who  told 
me  that  as  his  way  to  Oswego  lay  through  their  several 
countries, — and  Oswego  itself  is  in  the  Senecas  country — 
they  could  not  conceive  there  was  any  occasion  for  their 
escorting  him,  and  that  when  he  came  to  Oswego  there 
was  no  fear  but  that  many  of  the  Six  Nations  would, 
according  to  my  desire,  meet  him  there  and  assist  him. 
Numbers  of  the  troops  had  gone  up  without  any  molesta- 
tion ;  not  the  least  interruption  had  been  given  to  any  one, 
the  traders  to  Oswego  daily  going  and  returning  with  single 
bateaux.  Those  who  are  acquainted  with  Indian  affairs  well 
know  that  it  would  have  been  the  worst  of  policy  for  the 
French  at  that  time  to  violate  the  tranquillity  of  the  country 
of  the  Six  Nations.  It  is  true,  some  small  parties  of  enemy 
Indians  had  been  discovered  between  Schenectady  and  my 
house,  but  they  are  looked  upon  as  a  set  of  freebooters, 
and  Governor  Shirley's  body  guard  would  have  been  a  full 
security  to  him  against  any  such.  Even  his  premier 
Lydius,  when  I  talked  to  him  on  this  head,  told  me  he  saio 
no  want  of  Indians  to  escort  him,  and  that  he  would  endeavor 
to  dissuade  him  from  it. 

"  It  is  with  reluctance  that  I  trouble  your  lordships  with 
those  matters,  but  as  I  have  been  honored  with  a  station  of 
great  importance,  and  entrusted  with  money  belonging 
to  the  crown,  it  behooves  me  on  my  account,  not  to  be 


■1,  I 


r..^' 

^ 


504 


LIFE   OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BAKT. 


CTTAp.  wholly  silent;  and  I  Lave  said  as  little  as  I  possibly  could 
s_v«^  to  give  your  lordships  some  idea  of  aftairs,  for  whijli  I 
1756.  apprehend  myself  accountable  to  your  board.        ^ 

"  Governor  Shirley's  conduct  not  only  shook  the  system 
of  Indian  affairs,  and  gave  me  fresh  anxieties  and  perplex- 
ities, but  occasioned  considerable  and  additional  expenses, 
which  would  otherwise  have  been  saved ;  the  profuse  offers 
which  his  agents  made  to  the  Indians  in  order  to  debauch 
them  from  joining  me,  though  it  did  not  succeed  with  but 
a  very  few,  ^et  gave  to  all  such  self-importance,  that  when 
I  urged  to  any  of  them  who  made  demands  upon  me,  the 
unreasonableness  of  them,  they  reproached  me  that  they 
had  refused  Governoj  Shirley's  great  offers,  from  whom  they 
would  have  had  anything  they  wanted.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances and  the  account  coming  out  at  that  time  of 
our  unhappy  defeat  on  the  Ohio,  I  was  forced  to  make 
compliance,  which  otherwise  they  would  not  have  expected 
nor  I  submitted  to."        -      •        j.  .      ,  ;     ,,.,     i.. 

The  truth  is  that  Governor  Shirley,  who  was  an  exceed- 
ingly consequential  man,  was  piqued  at  the  seeming  neglect 
shown  to  his  position.  He  had  expected  to  find  Johnson, 
like  Lydius,  a  ready  tool  in  his  hands,  and  to  be  escorted 
through  the  Indian  country,  with  all  the  ceremony  of  an 
Eastern  prince.  In  this,  Johnson,  who  had  no  time  to 
give  to  anything  that  was  not  absolutely  essential  to  the 
success  of  the  expedition,  could  not  further  him,  and  hence 
Shirley's  dissatisfaction.  But  even  if  Mr.  Shirley  did 
think  that  Johnson  was  not  acting  with  judgment,  bis 
proper  course  would  have  been  to  lodge  his  complaints— if 
any  he  had — before  the  lords  of  trade,  and  not,  for  the 
sake  of  gratifying  his  animosity,  to  descend  to  these  means. 
They  could  do  no  good ;  and  to  say  the  least,  it  was  very 
ill-judged  at  this  time, — when  the  utmost  unanimity  was 
necessary  to  further  the  expedition,  then  on  the  very  eve 
of  embarking, — to  do  anything  which  would  create  jea- 
lousies and  dissensions  among  the  Indians. 

The  character  of  Governor  Shirley,  which  Mr.  Bancrott 


LIFB    OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOUNSON,   BART. 


505 


very  justly  deflcribes  as  artful,  fuvors  the  reprcBentation  of  chap' 
this  transaction  as  given  by  Johnson.  The  Six  Nations,  «-vw 
moreover,  required  peculiar  management,  which  Johnson,  l^*** 
after  years  of  study  and  observation,  alone  was  qualified  to 
undertake.  If  he,  likewise,  was  to  have  the  entire  control 
of  the  Indians  and  was  alono  responsible  to  the  crown,  it 
was  natural,  as  well  as  perfectly  right  and  just,  that  he 
should  resent  any  interference,  especially  by  one  who, 
residing  in  New  England,  could  not  properly  appreciate 
the  exigencies  which  were  continually  arising  among  the 
Indians  in  the  province  of  New  York.  The  remarks  of 
the  author  of  a  Letter  to  a  Nobleman  are  as  unjust  to 
General  Johnson,  as  his  eulogy  of  Governor  Shirley  is 
gross  and  fulsome.  General  Johnson  very  properly, 
therefore,  tells  the  ministry,  in  the  letter  which  we  have 
quoted,  that  the  management  of  Indian  afiaira  had  not 
been  sought  by  him ;  and  that  if  he  coatinued  in  it,  he 
must  be  allowed  to  have  it  under  his  own  control,  untram- 
meled  by  the  interference  of  the  Massachusetts  governor. 

Before  the  general  could  join  his  army  the  dissensiona 
sown  among  the  Indians  by  Lydius  must  be  healed.  This 
caused  a  delay  of  several  days ;  and  even  then,  just  as  he 
had  arranged  everything,  as  he  supposed,  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  Indians,  a  deputation  came  to  him  on  the  eve  of  his 
departure,  refUsing  to  proceed  with  him  farther,  until  mat- 
ters had  been  explained  to  them  more  clearly.^ 

These  difficulties  having  been  finally  adjusted,  the  gen- 
eral upon  the  eighth  of  August,  set  out  from  Albany  with 
the  stores  and  artillery,  and — ^with  the  exception  of  the  New 
York  and  Rhode  Island  militia,  which  were  fltill  behind — 
with  the  rest  of  the  troops.  He  was  also  accompanied  by 
King  Hendrik  with  fifty  Mohawk  warriors,  and  also  by 
1  \  Joseph  Brant,  then  a  mere  lad  of  thirteen  years.  *  Upon 
his  arrival  at  the  great  carrying  place,  on  the  fourteenth,  he 
was  joined  by  two  hundred  more  braves,  thus  increacing 

'  ManuHcript  letter :  Johnson  to  De  Lancey,  8th  August,  1766. 
•  Christian  Rcgitter. 

64 


■    I 


'j^^' 


<4 


LIFE  OF   8IR  WILLIAM   JOUNSON,   BART. 


CHAP,  tho  number  of  hia  Indian  uUios  to  about  two  hundred  und 

XVIa 


1766. 


my. 

Tlio  general  found  tlic  Now  England  troops  burning  witli 
ardor  und  impatient  of  delay.  The  news  of  Braddock'n 
defeat  far  from  disheartening,  only  made  them  more  desirouu 
to  be  led  against  Crown  Point.  To  them  this  expedition 
was  for  the  defense  of  their  lireoides.  "  I  endeavor  to 
keep  myself  calm  and  quiet  under  our  slow  progress,  and 
to  wait  God's  time,"  wrote  one  of  the  provincials  at  this 
time,  to  his  wife  in  Massachusetts. '  But  to  them  tho 
advance  was  slow.  General  Lyman  felt  equally  restive 
under  the  delay.  So  much  so,  indeed,  that  before  John- 
son's ariival,  ho  had  set  three  hundred  of  his  men  to  work 
cutting  a  road  to  Fort  Ann,  supposing  that  the  army  would 
prooeed  against  Crown  Point  by  way  of  Wood  creek  und 
Lake  Champlain.  Johnson,  however,  in  view  of  a  council 
of  war,  which  he  proposed  to  call  for  the  purpose  of 
deciding  upon  the  best  route,  countermanded  the  order, 
and  sent  out  a  scouting  party  of  forty  soldiers  and  three 
Indians  to  reconnoitre  the  whole  country  in  that  vicinity. ' 
The  scouts  having  returned,  a  council  was  called  on  the 
twenty-second,  in  which  the  officers,  upon  hearing  their 
report,  unanimously  gave  it  as  their  opinion,  "  that  the 
road  to  Lake  Bt.  Sacrament  appeared  to  them  the  most 
eligible,  and  that  it  ought  to  be  immediately  sot  about.'' 
It  was  also  determined  to  send  forward  two  thousand  men 
to  cut  a  road  through  the  woods  to  the  head  of  the  lake, 
and  erect  9uita\)le  buildings  in  which  to  store  arms  and 
other  munitioi's  of  war  when  they  should  arrive. 

Leaving  GtMieral  Lyman  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  rest 
of  the  troops,  and  the  New  Hampshire  men  to  complete 
and  garrison  the  fort,  Johnson  set  out  on  the  twenty-sixth, 

•Manuscript  letter:  Thomas  Williams  to  bia  wife.  Thomas  Williams, 
who  accompanied  this  expedition  as  a,  surgeon,  was  a  brother  to  Colonel 
Ephraim  Williams,  and  the  same  one  who  was  dispatched  from  Fort  Mas- 
sachusetts to  Albany  for  supplies,  when  that  post  was  attacked  by  De  Vau- 
dreuil. 

'  Manuscript  letter :  Thomas  Williams  to  his  wife. 


'0\ 


LIFE   OP   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


m 


with  thirty-four  Inmdrt'd  men,  for  the  lake — a  diHtanco  of '-^ap. 
fourteen  and  a  half  niiles — reaching  it  at  duHk  of  the"— v— 
twenty-eighth.  The  position  which  he  selected  for  hia  ^^'^' 
camp  was  a  strong  one,  heing  protected  on  the  rear  by  the 
lake,  and  on  both  flanks  by  a  thickly  wooded  swamp.  His 
lirHt  act  on  liis  arrival  was  to  change  the  name  of  the  lake 
from  St.  Sacrament  to  Lake  George,  "  not  only,"  as  ho 
loyally  writes,  "  in  honor  of  his  majesty,  but  to  ascertain 
his  undoubted  dominion  hero."  '  Although  for  many  years 
previously  this  lake  had  been  used  as  a  means  of  commu- 
nication both  for  warlike  and  commercial  purposes  between 
Canada  and  Albany,  yet  Johnson  found  a  primeval  forest, 
where  "no  house  was  ever  before  built,  nor  a  spot  of  land 
fleared."  The  soldiers  were  immediately  set  to  work 
clearing  a  place  for  a  camp  of  live  thousand  men,  and  pro- 
viding shelter  for  the  military  stores.  Meanwhile  General 
Lyman,  having  left  at  the  carrying  place  two  hundred  and 
fifty  New  England  troops,  and  live  companies  from  New 
York  which  had  finally  arrived,  joined  the  camp  at  Lake 
George  on  the  third  of  September,  bringing  with  him  all 
the  heavy  artillery. 


All       v  was  activity  in  the  provincial  camp.    "Wagons 
ladou  with  ruunitions  of  war,  came  and  went  across  the 


^  MaJBuaoript  letter :  Johnson  to  De  Lancey.  Also  Johnson  to  the  lords 
f  trade. 

The  ancient  Iroquois  name  of  this  lake  is  Andiataroctr — "  there  the  lake 
shuts  itself."  The  French  missionary,  Father  Jngues,  named  it  St.  Sacra- 
ment; not,  as  some  suppose — Mr.  Cooper  among  them — on  account  of  the 
purity  of  its  waters,  but  because  he  arrived  at  the  lake  upon  the  eve  of  the 
festival  day  of  that  name.'  The  early  Kitinan  Catholic  discoverers,  says 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Van  Rensselaer,  "frequently  connect  the  discovery  of  places 
with  the  festival  name,  on  the  calendar."  Mr.  Cooper,  in  his  Last  of  the 
Mohicans  suggests  the  name  of  Horicon,  tor  this  lake.  This,  though  quite 
poetical,  is  merely  fanciful,  as  indeed  he  claims,  and  has  not  the  merit  of 
historical  truth. 

1  "lis  arriverant,  la  vellle  dn  S.  Snorament,  au  bout  du  lao  qui  oat  Joint  an  grand  lao  da 
Champlain.  Lea  Iroquois  le  nominoiu  Andlataroote,  oommequi  dUolt  la  ou  l»  lac  «  ferms. 
Le  Pere  lo  niiruma  le  lao  du  S.  Saa> tjaoDt. "—Relationa,  1045-46. 


i 


508 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


CTtAF.  portage.  The  wild  flowers  of  the  forest  bent  beneath  the 
*-v-/  rude  tread  of  armed  men.  The  noise  of  a  hundred  ham- 
1755.  mars  echoed  through  the  mountain  fastnesses ;  and  keel 
after  keel  cut  the  crystal  -waters  of  the  lake.  By  day,  the 
French  mountain  frowned  defiantly  at  those  by  whom 
its  repose  had  first  been  broken ;  and  at  night,  the  panther, 
from  the  neighboring  thicket,  looked  forth  upon  the  stal- 
wart forms  reclining  by  the  watch  fires.  "  Prayers,"  wrote 
Johnson,  "  have  a  good  effect,  especially  among  the  New- 
England  men;"  and  on  the  sabbath,  while  the  Indians 
were  reclining  at  a  distance  under  the  forest  shade,  or 
skimming  the  waters  in  their  birchen  canoes,  the  New 
England  troops  had  gathered  around  the  man  of  God, '  to 
listen  to  his  words  of  comfort,  and  to  unite  with  him  iu 
supplication  at  the  throne  of  the  most  High. 

Johnson  had  expected  to  be  joined  at  the  lake  by  many 
more  warriors  of  the  Six  Nations.  In  this  he  was  disap- 
pointed. A  few  braves,  it  is  true,  dropped  in  at  the  camp, 
but  by  no  means  in  the  numbers  which  the  Indians  had 
assured  him  would  come.  The  old  Sachem  Hendrik  was 
mortified  at  the  paucity  of  the  numbei,  and  availed  him- 
self of  a  council,  held  on  the  fourth,  to  explain  to  Johnson 
and  his  officers  why  so  few  warriors  had  joined  their 
standard : 

"Sometime  ago,"  said  he,  "we  of  the  two  Mohawk 
castles,  were  greatly  alarmed  and  much  concerned,  and  wc 
take  this  opportunity  of  speaking  our  minds  iu  the  presence 
of  many  gentlemen  concerning  our  brother.  Governor 
Shirley,  who  is  gone  to  Oswego ; — he  told  us  that,  tli(»iigh 
we  thought  you,  our  brother  Warraghiyaghey,  had  the  sole 
management  of  Indian  aft'airs,  yet  that  he  was  over  all ; 
that  he  could  pull  down  and  set  up.  He  farther  told  us 
that  he  had  always  been  this  great  man,  and  that  you,  our 
brother,  was  but  an  upstart  of  yesterday.  These  kind  ot 
discourses  from  him  caused  a  great  uneasiness  and  con- 

>  Key.  Stephen  WilliamB,  of  Longmeadow,  Mass.)  chaplain  of  Williams's 
regiment. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BAKT. 


509 


fusion  amongst  us,  and  he  confirmed  these  things  by  a  large  <^ap. 
belt  of  wampum.  w.^^ 

"  I  just  now  said,  these  matters  made  our  hearts  ache  ^^^• 
and  caused  a  great  deal  of  confusion  in  our  castles. 
Governor  Shirley  further  told  us :  '  you  think  your  brother 
Warraghiyaghey  has  his  commission  for  managing  your 
affairs  from  the  king  our  father — but  yoif  are  mistaken — 
he  has  his  commission  and  all  the  moneys  for  carrying  on 
your  aftairs  from  me,  and  when  I  please  I  can  take  all  his 
powers  from  him ;  it  was  I  gave  him  all  the  presents  and 
goods  to  fit  out  the  Indians  with.' 

"  He  further  told  us  when  he  came  to  our  fort :  '  This 
is  my  fort ;  it  was  built  by  my  order  and  directions ;  I  am 
ruler  and  master  here,  and  now  brethren,  I  desire  twenty 
of  your  young  warriors  from  this  castle  to  join  me  as  your 
brother  Warraghiyaghey  promised  me  you  would  do,  and 
be  ready  at  a  whistle.  Brethren,  you  may  see  I  have  the 
chief  command ;  here  is  money  for  you,  my  pockets  are 
full ;  you  shan't  want ;  besides  I  have  goods  and  arms  ready 
for  all  that  will  go  with  me.'  He  said  a  great  deal  more 
of  the  like  kind,  which  time  will  not  permit  us  to  repeat  at 
present. 

"  He  was  two  days  pressing  and  working  upon  my  brother 
Abraham  to  go  with  him  as  a  minister  for  the  Indians — he 
said  to  him :  '  Warraghiyaghey  gives  you  no  wages,  why 
should  you  go  to  Crown  Point,  you  can  do  nothing  there ; 
but  with  me  there  will  be  something  to  do  worth  while.' 
These  speeches  rnade  us  quite  ashamed,  and  the  Six  Nations 
hung  down  their  heads  and  would  make  no  answer. 

"  But  brother,  notwithstanding  all  these  temptations  and 
speeches,  we  that  are  come  and  now  here,  were  determined 
to  remain  steadfast  to  you,  and  had  it  not  been  for  Governor 
Shirley's  money  and  speeches,  you  would  have  seen  all 
the  Six  Nations  here. 

"  Brother,  we  have  taken  this  opportunity  to  give  you 
this  relation,  that  the  gentlemen  here  present  may  kno-^ 


i! 


wj^..  -   ;fti4:^iWfe. 


510 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


1755. 


OTAP.  and  testify  what  we  have  said,  and  hear  the  reasons  why 
'  no  more  Indians  have  joined  this  army."  ^ 

Thus  closed  the  last  formal  speech  that  the  great  Mohawli 
chieftain  lived  to  make.  True  as  tempered  steel  to  the 
interests  of  the  English,  his  last  moments  were  in  harmony 
^ith  those  of  his  life — spent  in  keeping  the  Six  Nations 
steadfast  to  their  ancient  alliance.  Although  he  was  a 
rude  hrave  of  the  forest,  yet  his  noble  appreciation  of  the 
exigencies  of  the  public  welfare,  the  more  polished  governor 
of  Massachusetts  might  well  have  imitated. 

General  Johnson's  plan  of  operations  was  to  build  a  fort 
at  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  to  remain  there  until  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  bateaux  could  be  constructed  in  which 
to  transport  his  stores  and  artillery.  As  soon  as  these 
were  in  reacUness,  he  designed  to  proceed  down  the  lake, 
with  all  his  available  forces,  to  Ticonderoga,  and  there 
remain  until,  strengthened  by  sufficient  reinforcemei.* 
could  successfully  attack  Crown  Point.  Ticonderogj- • 
long  been  considered  by  military  men  as  a  "  very  danger- 
ous and  important  pass ;"  and  it  was  his  design  to  con- 
struct on  that  promontory  a  fort  which  would  command 
the  only  two  water  passes  to  the  lower  settlements.  This 
movement  was  therefore  well  planned ;  for  if  it  should  not 
be  deemed  advisable  to  attack  Crown  Point,  the  French 
could  at  least  be  prevented  from  passing  down  either  of 
the  lakes.  The  general  was  also  the  more  anxious  to  pro- 
ceed, from  intelligence  received  through  scouts,  that  a 
small  party  of  French  had  already  occupied  this  import- 

1  All  these  statements  of  Shirley,  it  is  perhaps  unnecessary  to  remind 
the  reader,  were  false.  1st,  Johnson  acted  at  this  time  as  superintendent 
of  Indian  affairs  under  a  commission  from  General  Braddock,  and  not  from 
Shirley ;  2d,  The  money  which  he  held  for  the  Indians,  was  given  to  him  by 
Brfiddock,  and  he  was  responsible  for  it  to  him  alone  ;  and  8d,  The  fort  was 
built — as  stated  in  the  last  chapter — by  the  direction  of  Mr.  Ue  Lancey  and 
his  council,  on  the  application  of  Johnson,  with  a  portion  of  the  "  fund  for 
contingencies,"  in  the  hands  of  the  lieutennnt-governor.  Ilendrik's  wcl 
known  character  for  strict  integrity  forbids  us  to  doubt  the  correctness  of 
the  facts  meutioued  in  his  speech. 


LIFE   OP   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSUN,   BART. 


511 


ant  pass.  Before,  however,  his  arrangements  could  be  chap. 
completed,  the  rapid  movements  of  the  enemy  foiled  his  w^ 
design.  ''-^•'i  ■■■',;■    'r-  v-.^i'v-v;' >>/•.. ;-,^  ■/■•  ':"••:    1755. 

Early  in  July,  De  Vaudreuil,  who  was  informed,  through 
papers  taken  from  Braddock,  of  Shirley's  proposed  expe- 
dition against  Niagara,  arranged  a  well  concerted  atta^^.k 
upon  Oswego.  Learning,  however,  that  the  English  were 
advancing  by  way  of  Saint  Sacrament  against  Crown 
Point,  he  changed  his  purpose ;  and  calling  back  the 
troops  already  on  their  march  to  Oswego,  sent  them,  under 
Baron  Dieskau,  to  meet  the  forces  of  General  Johnson.^ 
Leaving  a  large  force  at  Crown  Point,  the  baron  took  six 
hundred  Indians,  seven  hundred  Canadians,  and  two  hun- 
dred regulars,'*  and  proceeding  up  Lake  Champlain,  landed 
at  the  head  of  that  lake.  The  intention  of  the  French 
general  was  first  to  attack  Fort  Edward,  and  then  cut  off 
the  retreat  of  Johnson  and  annihilate  his  army.  This 
accomplished,  Albany  and  the  lower  settlements  were  to 
be  destroyed.  This  plan  was  in  harmony  with  the  motto 
upon  the  baron's  arms,  "Boldness  Wins;"  and  though 
it  was  brilliant,  it  was  also  rash.* 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  after  disembarking, 
the  French  army  found  itself,  through  the  treachery  of  the 
Iroquois  guides,  on  the  road  to  Lake  George,  four  miles 
distant  from  the  fort.*  Here  the  baron  halted,  and  sent 
forward  a  party  of  Indians,  under  the  direction  of  M.  de 
St.  Pierre,  to  reconnoitre.  They  soon  returned,  having 
killed  a  courier,  whom  General  Johnson  had  sent  to  warn 
the  garrison  at  the  carrying-place  of  their  danger.  As  it 
was  evident  from  this,  that  the  commander  of  the  fort 
was  now  on  the  alert,  Dieskau  gave  the  Indians  the  choice 


'M.  de  Lottiniere  to  Count  d'  Argenson,  24  Oct.,  1755. 

'Chevalier  de  Montreuil  to  the  same,   14  Oct.,  1755. 

' "  I  avow  that  I  had  a  recent  presentiment  that  misfortune  would  over- 
take him,  (Dieskau)  because  I  knew  him  to  be  too  great  a  stickler  for  the 
dangerous  principle  that  intrepidity  alone  can  accomplish  the  most  diffir 
cult  things."— 2)or«7  to  the  Minister,  28  Oct.,  1755. 

*  Dieskau  to  Couui  d'Argenson,  14  Sept.,  1755. 


612 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,    BART. 


1765. 


't' 


-J  • 


, 


I'      !- 


i! .  ) 


CHAP,  of  either  attacking  the  fort  or  marching  ag;t.  ist  the  can.p 
V— ^ — -at the  lake.*  The  Indians,  who  had  a  peculiar  horror  of 
artillery,  having  learned  through  a  prisoner,  that  thb  camp 
at  the  lake  was  destitute  of  cannon,  positively  refused  to 
attack  the  fort,  but  expressed  their  willingness  to  be  led 
against  the  latter.  Having  thus  ascertained  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  Indians,  Dieskau  gave  up  for  the  present  his 
former  design,  and  marching  through  the  forest  in  the 
northerly  part  of  the  present  towns  of  Kingsbury  and 
Queensbury,  encamped  on  the  margin  of  a  small  pond,  on 
the  east  of  the  Lake  George  road,  and  near  the  southern 
spur  of  the  French  Mountain. 

On  the  evening  of  the  seventh  of  September,  Johnson 
was  apprised,  through  his  scouts,  that  a  road  had  been  cut 
from  South  bay,  and  that  a  large  body  of  men  were  march- 
ing to  the  Hudson.  The  general  immediately  sent  express- 
es to  New  York  and  New  England  for  reinforcements, 
and  at  the  same  time  dispatched  two  messengers  to  Fort 
Edward  to  warn  Colonel  Blanchard  of  the  advance  of  the 
French  army.  One  of  these  couriers  was,  as  has  been 
stated,  intercepted  and  killed,  but  the  other  returned  at 
midnight,  bringing  the  startling  intelligence  that  the  ene- 
my were  only  four  miles  from  the  fort.  A  council  of  war 
was  called  early  the  next  morning,  in  which  it  was  the 
general  opinion  of  both  officers  and  Indiana  that  a  detach- 
ment of  one  thousand  troops,  and  two  hundred  Indians 
should  be  sent  out  in  aid  of  Fort  Edward  "  to  catch  the 
enemy  in  their  retreat,  either  as  victors  or  as  defeated  in 
their  design."  Hendrik  alone  disapproved  of  the  nuitiber. 
"If,"  said  that  sage  counsellor,  "they  are  to  fight  they 
are  too  few  ;  if  they  are  to  be  killed  they  are  too  many ;" 
and  again,  when  it  was  proposed  to  send  out  the  detach- 
ment in  three  parties,  the  Mohawk,  picking  up  three  sticks 
from  the  ground,  said,  "  Put  these  together  and  you  can- 
not break  them ;  take  them  one  by  one,  and  you  will  do 


1 "  An  account  of  what  has  occurred  this  year  in  Canada.  "- 
dt  la  Ouerre,  Paris. 


-Department 


i;.IFB   OF  SIR  WILLIAM  J0IIL30N,    BART. 


m 


was,  as  has  been 


in  C&ntido,."—Deparimeni 


it  easily.''    His  advice,  however,  on  both  these  points  was  chap. 
disregarded,  and  the  Provincials,  under  the  gallant  Colonel  v-l^—. 
Ephraim  Williams,  and  the  Confederate  warriors,  led  by  i^^' 
the  venerable  Mohawk  brave,   set  out  without  delay  in 
three  divisions,  and  marched  toward  the  fort,  where  it 
was  supposed  the  enemy  would  be  found.    As  soon  as  they 
left  the  camp,  Johnson  had  some  trees  felled  to  form,  with 
the  'wagons  and  bateaux,  a  rude  breastwork ;  and  at  the 
same  time,  some  heavy  cannon,  destined  for  the  attack  on 
Crown  Point,  were  drawn  up  from  the  shore  of  the  lake,, 
and  posted  in  advantageous  positions.  ;.   .    ,.    ^-j 

Meanwhile,  Dieskau,  advised  through  his  Indian  scouts 
of  the  advance  of  Colonel  Williams,  arranged  in  a  defile 
near  at  hand,  an  ambuscade  in  the  shape  of  a  cre8cei;it ; 
the  regulars  being  stationed  in  the  center,  and  the  Caiiftdi- 
ans  and  Indians  on  either  side,  where  they  were  concealed 
on  the  right  by  thickets,  and  on  the  left  by  rocks  and  trees. 

Colonel  Williams  advanced  with  his  di\?ision  to  Rocfey 
brook,  about  two  miles  from  the  camp,  and  halted  until 
he  should  be  overtaken  by  Lieutenant  Whiting  and  Hen- 
drikwith  the  rest  of  the  party.  As  soon  as  they  came  up, 
the  colonel,  singularly  unsuspicious  of  danger^  and  neg- 
lecting his  usual  preca'^tion  of  throwing  ahead  skirmisjti- 
ers,  gave  th 3  order  to  advance;  and  the  entire  column, 
preceded  by  Hendrik  and  his  warriors,  marched  briskly 
forward  and  entered  the  fatal  defile.  It  had  been  the 
express  orders  of  Dieskau,  that  his  men  should  reserve 
their  fire  until  the  English  were  entirely  within  the  half 
circle.  Fortunately,  however,  before  the  detachment  were 
entirely  within  the  ambush,  one  of  the  enemy's  muskets 
went  oft'  accidently.  Instantly,  terrific  yells  and  rattling 
of  musketry  filled  the  air,  as  volley  after  volley  was 
poured  with  murderous  effect  upon  the  left  of  Williams's 
column,  and  upon  the  Indians  in  front.  Hendrik,  who 
was  in  advance  of  his  braves,  and  who  being  corpulent 
and  mounted  on  horseback,  formed  a  conspicuous  mark 
for  the  enemy's  bullets,  fell  dead  at  the  first  ^re.    (volpftel 


■■'I 


65 


m 


ym 


e-irvii  ■..>!■.■{! :» 


i 


514 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


OH^'  "WilliaiiiJ3  was  also  killed  in  the  early  part  of  the  action, 
>— y— *  being  shot  through  the  head  as  he  was  standing  upon  a 
1756.  rock  which  he  had  mounted,  the  better  to  directthe  move- 
ments of  his  men.'  A  hurried  retreat  of  the  Provincials 
now  followed,  with  the  enemy  close  on  their  heels,  alter- 
nately yelling  and  firing.  Reaching  a  small  pond  near  the 
road,"  a  portion  of  the  Provincials  rallied,  and  stationing 
themselves  behind  it,  each  man  for  himself,  checked  the 
pursuit,  until  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Cole, 
whom  Johnson,  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  firing,  had  sent 
out  with  three  hundred  men  to  cover  the  retreat.  Under 
the  guidance  of  "Whiting  and  Cole,  this  was  successfully 
effected;  and  the  party  which  a  little  before  had  gone 
forth  confident  in  their  strength,  clambered  over  the  barri- 
cades weary  and  dejected. 

Had  the  French  commander  been  able,  as  he  intended, 
to  have  taken  advantage  of  the  confusion  produced  in 
Johnson's  camp  by  the  arrival  of  the  panic  stricken  fugi- 
tives, and  while  his  men  were  flushed  with  success,  rushed 
forward  and  carrred  the  breast-works  by  storm,  he  would 
doubtless  have  been  successful.  But  the  Indians  and 
Canadians,  coming  in  sight  of  Johnson's  cannon,  halted, 
and  finally  skulked  off  to  the  edge  of  the  woods,  leaving 
the  regulars  to  begin  the  attack.  This  delay  lost  the  baron 
the  victory,  and  gave  the  Provincials  full  fifteen  minutec, 
in  which  to  improve  their  defences,  and  recover  from  their 
previous  trepidation. 

The  attack  was  begun  by  the  regulars,  who  advanced  in 
perfect  order  against  the  center,  firing  by  platoons.  As 
theii  polished  arms  were  first  descried  advancing  from 
the  woods,  a  slight  tremor  seized  the  Provincials,  but  after 
the  first  few  volleys  they  lost  all  fear  and  fought  with 

1  For  a  sketch  of  Williams  and  Hendrik  see  Appendix  No.  Ill  and  IV  of 
this  volume. 

*  Since  called  Bloody  pond,  from  the  tradition  that  man;  of  those 
elais  in  this  sk-rmish  were  thrown  into  it. 


r  !(| 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


615 


coolness  and  desperation.*    Finding  that  no  impr'^ssion  cha?. 
could  be  made  upon  the  center,  Dieskau  changtd  hiss-.^ 
attack  to  the  »eft  with  no  better  effect.    He  next  attempt-  ^^^^ 
ed,  by  a  desperate  charge,  to  turn  Johnson's  right,  where 
were  stationed  the  regiments  of  Ruggles,  Titcomb,  and  the 
late  Col'.    j1  Williams.    ^  terrific  fight  followed ;  both 
parties  feeling  that  the  issue  of  the  struggle  had  now 
arrived.    In  the  words    of  an  officer  present,    "  there 
seemed  nothing  but  thunder  and  lightning  and  perpetual 
pillars  of  smoke,  and  the  bullets  flew  like  hail-stones." 
The  Provincials,  said  Dieskau  "  fought  like  devils,"  and  in 
some  instances  leaping  the  bre^t- works  and  clubbing 
their  arms  they  fought  hand  to  hand  and  faqe  to  face. 
Finally,  the  old  fashioned  musket,  in  the  ^[luscular  arms 
of  the  New  England  farmers,  proving  superior  to  the  glit- 
tering bayonet,  the  regulars  were  again  driyen  back,  leav- 
ing the  ground  covered  with  their  dei^d  and  wounded. 
During  this  attack  upon  the  right,  a  party  of  Abenakis 
and  Canadians,  posting  themselves  in  a  morass,  for  a  time 
made  considerable  havoc,  but  a  few  shells  thrown  among 
them  scattered  them  in  the  greatest  confusion.    Thus 
driven  back  at  all  points,  the  enemy  began  to  waver,  which 
was  no  sooner  perceived  by  the  Provincials,  than  leaping 
their  defences  with  a  loud  shout,  they  fought  them  until 
the  lake  became  red  as  the  crimson  flowers  that  blossom 
upon  its  margin.^    This  fierce  onset  decided  the  day ;  and 

'  Joseph  Brant;  in  relating  the  particulars  of  this  bloody  engagement  to 
Dr.  Stewart,  acknowledged  that  this  being  the  iirst  action  at  which  he  was 
prebent,  he  was  seized  with  such  a  tremor  when  the  firing  began,  that  he 
was  obliged  to  take  hold  of  a  small  sapling  to  steady  himself;  but  that  after 
the  discharge  of  a  few  volleys  he  recovered  the  use  of  his  limbs  and  the 
composure  of  his  mind  so  as  to  support  the  character  of  a  brave  ma^,  of 
which  he  was  exceedingly  ambitious. 

'The  .to JeZia  CarrfinaK«,  commonly  called  the  Indian  Eye-Bright.  The 
author  has  frequently  seen  large  clusters  of  this  beautiful  blossom  growing 
on  the  banks  of  the  lake  and  upon  the  margin  of  Bloody  pond.  Alfred  B. 
Street  has  embr.lmed  this  flower  in  a  touching  Indian  Ipgend,  in  hip  enter- 
taining Woods  and  Waters. 


\i 


■St     -       ' 


516 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


' 


■1 


OTtAt.  the  French,  breaking  their  ranks,  sought  in  wild  disorder 

wv— >  the  cover  of  the  woods.* 

1766.  jjj  ^Yiiti  battle  almost  all  the  French  regulars  were  killed. 
Dieskau,  although  he  had  received  three  balls  in  his  legs 
and  one  across  his  knee  while  fighting  close  to  the  barri- 
cades, refused  to  leave  the  field ;  and  supported  by  the 
stump  of  a  tree,  continued  amid  the  whistling  of  bul- 
lets calmly  to  give  his  orders.  Finally,  as  his  troops  were 
ia  full  retreat,  u.  renegade  Frenchman  maliciously  dis- 
charged his  musket  through  both  of  the  general's  hips, 
inflicting  a  very  severe  wound.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Pom- 
eroy  coming  up  at  this  moment,  the  baron  was  conveyed 
to  the  tent  of  the  American  commander,  v  here  he  received 
every  attention  due  to  a  brave  though  unfortunate  ;  lan— 
General  Johns  ^n  refusing  to  have  his  own  wounds  dressed 
until  those  of  the  baron  had  been  properly  ottended  to.^ 
Le  Gardeur  de  St.  Pierre,  the  same  who  had  defeated 
Washington  the  previous  year  on  the  Ohio,  received  his 
death  wound  in  the  skirmish  of  Uie  morning.  His  last 
words  were,  "  fight  on  boys,   this  is  Johnson  not  Braddoek." 


^The  French  suffered  little  in  this  action  from  the  artillery,  which,  simsd 
generally  too  high,  did  but  small  execution — except,  by  the  oraBbiii';  of  the 
balls  in  the  tree-tops,  to  scare  the  Indians.  All  the  credit  is  due  to  the 
personal  Talor  of  the  Boldiers  and  officers  themselves. 

'Account  of  the  battle  of  Lalce  George  ;  (1756)  written  by  Baron  Dies- 
kau,  iu  a  dialogue  entitled.  Dialogue  between  Marshal  Saxe  and  Baron  dt 
Dietkau  in  the  Elyeian  Fields ;  also  Dieskau's  official  account  of  the  action— 
Department  de  la  Guerre,  Paris,  published  also  i|i  N.  Y.  Col.  Doc.  From 
these  documents,  it  appears  that  the  generally  received  impression  that 
Dieskau  was  shot  while  feeling  for  his  watch,  &o.,  is  a  pure  Qption. 

"  I  know  not  what  at  present  will  be  my  fate  ;  from  M.  do  Joiinson,  the 
general  of  the  English  army,  I  am  receiving  all  the  attention  possible  to  be 
expected  from  a  brave  man,  full  cf  honor  and  feeling."  Bapqn  de  Dieskau 
to  Count  d'  Argenson,  Sept.  14,  1765. 

Before  the  baron  left  America,  a  warm  friendship  sprung  up  between 
himself  and  his  conqueror ;  and  previo""''''  to  his  returning  to  France,  he 
presented  Johnson  with  a  magnificent  sword  as  a  token  of  bis  regard. 
General  Johnson  acknowledged  this  gift  in  a  feeling  letter  to  the  baron, 
which  manuscript  letter  is  in  my  possessiun.  Dieskau  die4  in  1767,  of  his 
'wounds  received  in  this  action. 


LIFE  OP   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


517 


OHAf. 
XVI. 


In  the  beginning  of  the  action,  General  Johnson  "  dis- 
played a  firm  and  steady  mind,"  and  conducted  himself 
with  groat  bravery ;  but  soon  receiving  a  painful  wound  ^'^^• 
in  uie  hips,  he  was  forced  to  retire,  leaving  the  command 
to  Major  General  Lyman.  During  all  of  the  fight,  which 
lasted  from  half  past  ten  in  the  morning  until  four  in  the 
afternoon,  Lyman  behaved  with  distinguished  bravery; 
repeatedly  showing  himself  in  front  of  the  defences,  in 
order  to  encourage  his  men.* 

The  misfortunes  of  the  enemy  were  not,  however,  at  an 
end.  Toward  evening  of  the  same  day,  as  the  shattered 
remnants  of  the  French  army  were  seated  near  Rocky 
brook,  refreshing  themselves  after  the  late  exhausting  bat- 
tle, they  were  suddenly  attacked  by  a  party  of  two  hun- 
dred New  Hampshire  men  under  Captain  Maginnis,  who 
were  on  their  way  to  Lake  George,  and  completely  routed, 
leaving,  in  the  words  of  an  eye-witness,  "  their  garments 
and  weapons  of  war  for  miles  together,  like  the  Assyrians 
in  their  flight."  The  brave  Maginnis,  however,  received 
a  contusion  on  the  head  from  a  spent  bullet,  and  died  soon 
after  reaching  the  camp. 

The  bodies  of  those  slain  in  this  skinnish,  were  buried 
in  the  bottom  of  the  glen,  beneath  the  shade  of  everlast- 
ing rocks.  It  is  a  sweet,  wild  haunt, — the  sunbeam  falls 
there  with  a  softened  radiance, — and  the  brook  near  by 
murmurs  plaintively,  as  if  mourning  for  the  dead. 

In  the  three  actions  of  this  day,  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty  of  the  Provincials  were  killed,  and  ninety-one 
wounded.  Their  loss  was  greater  than  it  might  otherwise 
have  been,  from  the  fact  that  several  were  hit  by  poisoned 
bullets ;  thus  mere  fles]-  .  ounds  soon  mortified,  some  of 
the  soldiers  dying  in   convulsions.*    Of  the   Six  JN'ations 


"  .  i 


I- 


'  For  a  map  of  this  action  see  appendix  No.  v. 

' "  Mical  Harrington  died  of  the  wound  he  receivod  through  the  fleshy 
pnrt  of  the  thigh,  the  ball  undoubtedly  poisoned ;  as  also  one  Jonathan 
Burt,  of  Brimfield,  by  a  poisoned  ball  through  the  arm ;  and  one  Brisbee, 
by  a  slight  shot  in  the  leg  which  threw  him  into  convulsions.  The  art  of 
man  could  not  stop  the  mortification  which  seized  the  wounded  part,  and 


n\ 


518 


LIFE   OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


.1 


1765. 


CTM^.  nearly  forty  of  their  braves  perished.    The  loss  of  tlie 

< 'French  was  probably  between  three  and  four  hundred.' 

General  Johnson,  under  the  direction  of  a  council  of 
war  held  immediately  after  the  action,  sent  circular  letters, 
containing  an  official  account  of  the  action  of  the  eighth, 
to  Boston,  whence  they  were  to  be  sent  to  the  several 
colonial  governors.  His  thus  acting  according  to  direction, 
is  a  eufficient  answer  to  those  who  have  censured  him,  for 
not  advising  Governor  Shirley  at  Oswego  of  the  result. 
It  is  true  that  he  mig^tLave  written  him  unofficially  by  a 
private  express ;  but  this  was  a  mere  matter  of  preference. 
That  he  did  not  prefer  so  to  do,  after  the  eiibrts  of  Shirley 
to  weake*^  his  influence,  is  not  surprising. 

Three  days  after  the  battle,  the  Indians  in  council 
announced  to  Johnson  and  his  officers,  through  Aguiotta, 
an  Oneida  sachem,  their  intention  of  returning  forthwith 
to  their  homes.  It  waf3  in  vain  that  the  general  remon- 
strated, and  told  them  that  the  object  of  the  campaign  was 
not  yet  accomplished, — that  in  fact  he  had  "  not  yet  got 
half  way," — they  were  determined  in  their  pui-posc. 
While,  however,  they  were  not  to  be  moved  from  their 
design,  they  assured  their  brother,  "that  their  going  home 
arose  not  from  any  coldness  of  heart,  but  wan  in  accordance 
with  their  invariable  custom  of  returning  after  an  engage- 
ment, in  which  they  had  sustained  loss,  to  cheer  their  peo- 
ple ;"  and  they  promised  soon  to  retui'n  and  use  the  hatch- 
et with  fresh  vigor  against  the  Fretich.  The  Indians  were 
also  fearful  that  the  Abenakis,  in  revenge  for  the  loss  of 
their  braves,  would  fall  upon  their  own  castles  left  by  their 

presently  a  few  hours  shut  up  the  scene.  Oh  onrsed  malice,  that  the  fatal 
lead  should  not  be  thought  sufficient  without  being  rolled  up  with  a  solution 
of  copper  and  yellow  arsenic,  as  I  am  thoughtful  was  the  case,  by  many 
of  the  poisoned  balls  which  were  brought  in  out  of  their  bullet  pouches, 
taken  among  the  plunder." — Manuscript  letter,  Surgeon  Thomas  Williams 
to  'ills  wife.  This  is  the  only  instance,  that  I  recollect,  of  the  use  of  poisoned 
bullets  in  battle. 

1  Dieskau  estimated  it  at  six  hundred,  and  Johnson  placed  it  in  his  first 
report  of  the  action  also  at  six  hundred,  but  afterward  at  four  hundred. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


m 


absence  iu  a  measure  unprotected.    It  being  useless  to  de-  chap. 
tain  them  against  thoir  inclination,  the  general,  after  con-v.^ 
suiting  his  officers,  dismissed  them  to  their  castles,  giving  1766. 
them  some  strouda,with  which  to  cover  the  graves  ^r  their 
dead.*    ■:,  (f,;  -   ••;   :....t,h:^' i^,  ,  \  .,*    ^u  .,!v,. .:',.«■   .  ... 

The  months  of  October  and  November  were  chiefly 
occupied  in  building  a  strong  fort  at  the  head  of  the  lake.' 
A  fortification  at  this  point,  was  justly  considered  by  John- 
son extremley  important,  as  it  would  thus  command  the 
pass  into  Canada  by  way  of  Lake  George,  in  the  same  way 
as  Fort  Ann  commanded  the  one  by  way  of  "Wood  creek. 
Its  importance  had  also  been  seen  by  the  lieutenant- 
governor  of  New  "^^ork,  who,  in  the  previous  year,  had 
written  the  lords  of  trade,  urging  the  /; .ection  of  a  fort  at 
the  "  southern  extremity  of  Lake  St.  Sacrament,"  on  the 
ground  that  it  would  be  a  "  defense  against  the  French, 
and  a  protection  for  the  Mohawks."'  A  council  of  war, 
held  at  the  camp,  on  the  seventh  of  September,  had 
recommended  the  expediency  of  building  a  small  picketed 
fort  without  delay.  This  was  opposed  by  the  general, 
who  thought  that  a  strong  fortification  should  be  construct- 
ed capable  of  holding,  in  an  emergency,  five  bundled  men. 
He,  however,  yielded  to  the  will  of  the  m^ority,  and  a 
small  fort  was  begun,  which  went  on  so  slowly,  that  by 
the  last  of  September  it  was  not  nearly  completed ;  only  a 
dozen  men  at  one  time  being  found  by  Johnson  engaged 
on  the  work. 

On  the  twenty-ninth,  advices  were  received  from  Sir 
Charles  Hardy,  the  new  governor  of  New  York,  stating  that 
it  was  the  wish  of  himself  and  his  majesty's  council,  that  a 

1  Minutes  of  council  held  st  Lake  George.     Jf.  Y,  Col.  Hii. 

'  Mr.  Bancroft,  I  think,  is  mistaken  in  calling  this  "  a  xueleu  fort  of 
wood."  It  was  successfully  defended  in  the  spring  of  1757,  against  a 
force  of  two  thousand  troops,  supplied  with  three  hundred  scaling-ladders ; 
and  it  was  only  surrendered  the  ensuing  summer  by  the  cowardice  of 
General  Webb.  While  it  was  not  of  course  a  fortification  of  the  first  class, 
nor  its  site  well  chosen,  it  was  far  from  useleii. 

'De  Lanccy  to  the  lords  of  trade,  December,  1754, 


620 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


i  1 


CT*^.  durable  and  commodious  fort  nhould  be  coiiBtmcted  as 
v-v— '  Boon  as  poseiblo.  Upon  this  winh  of  the  governor  being 
1766.  communicated  to  a  council  of  war,  it  was  immediately 
decided  to  ereot  a  fort,  which  should  meet  his  views.  The 
general  acco'  'ngly  sent  to  Fort  Edward  for  all  the  shov- 
ek  and  spaders  which  the  officer  at  that  post  could  spare, 
and  the  fort  was  forthwith  begun.  The  work,  however, 
did  not  progress  so  rapidly  as  Johnson  desired.  "The 
fort,"  ho  writes  on  the  seventh  of  October,  "  goes  on,  all 
things  considered,  pretty  well."  The  New  England  men, 
impatient  to  proceed,  and  not  seeing  the  necessity  of  a 
fort,  did  not  enter  into  it  with  alacrity.'  It  was  using  their 
services,  they  selfishly  thought,  solely  for  the  benefit  of 
New  York, — not  perc  iving  that  a  fort  at  this  place  which 
would  hold  the  French  in  check,  was  as  much  needed  for  the 
protection  of  their  own  frontiers  as  for  those  of  their  sister 
province.  The  work  therefore  lingered  along ;  and  it  was 
nbt  until  the  middle  of  November  that  the  fort  was  com- 
pleted, receiving  from  Johnson  the  name  of  William 
Henry,  in  honor  of  two  princes  of  the  royal  blood.' 

The  want  oi^  unanimity  shown  in  the  erection  of  the 
fort,  was  not  the  only  symptom  of  the  jealousy  which,  for 
so  many  years,  had  existed  between  the  provinces  of  New 
Engldtid  and  New  York.  The  troops  from  the  latter 
colony  were  as  much  elated  at  the  defeat  of  Dieskau,  as 
those  fVom  Now  England  were  depressed  at  the  abortive 
attempt  of  Shirley ;  and  other  signs  of  ill  feeling  were 
soon  ihanifest,  Which  threatened  to  impede  seriously  the 
operations  of  the  campaign.  General  Johnson  was  inde- 
fatigable in  his  endeavors  to  allay  all  jealousies  and 
promote  harmony  among  his  troops.  How  well  he  suc- 
ceeded may  be  inferred  from  the  following  extract  from  a 

1 "  It  [tho  fort]  has  met  with  many  obstructions,  and  the  men  hnTe  been 
tery  backward  in  Working  there,  which  has  been  partly  owing  to  several 
of  their  officers."     Letter  from  Johnsor,  Nov.  4th,  1766. 

*For  a  plan  of  this  fort  originally  carved  on  the  powder  horn  of  apro- 
vincial  while  doing  garrison  duty  in  1766,  see  Appendix  vi. 


!  m 


LIFB   OV  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


621 


letter  written  by  a  Nm  England  officer,  from  tho  ontnp  nt  ohap. 
Luko  Qoorge,  to  his  wife,  in  Dooriield,  MasHiichusetts :         v-^ 

"  1  must  say,  he  (Johnson)  is  a  complete  gentleman,  and  ^7^^' 
willing  to  please  and  oblige  all  men;  familiar  and  tree  of 
acccrtrt  to  the  lowest  sentinel ;  a  gentleman  of  uncommon 
smart  sense  and  even  temper;  never  saw  him  in  a  ruffle, 
or  use  any  bad  language — in  short,  I  never  was  so  dissap- 
poiiitod  in  a  person  in  the  idea  I  had  of  him  before  I  came 
from  home,  in  my  life ;  to  sum  up,  ho  is  almost  universally 
bt  lOved  and  esteemed  1  y  officers  and  soldiers  as  a  second 
3farlboroughfor  coolness  of  head  and  warmness  oj  heart. ^ 

This  encomium,  coming  from  a  New  England  officer  who, 
according  to  his  own  admission,  joined  Johnson's  army 
prejudiced  against  him,  is  testimony  whic'  is  desc^  nng  of 
the  careful  consideration  of  the  candid  reader. 

But  little  more  was  accomplished  during  tht  remainder 
of  the  campaign.  Scouting  parties,  it '.  *'-ue,  under  Cayv 
tain  Rogers,  the  famous  ranger,  amuse  i  tiiemselves  with 
surprises  upon  the  enemy ;  executing  them  so  adroitly, 
that  many  of  the  French,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Frederick, 
bit  the  dust, — one  Frenchman  being  killed  and  scalped  by 
Rogers  under  the  very  walls  of  that  fort.  It  was  now, 
however,  late  in  the  autumn,  and  a  council  of  war  having 
decided  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  November,  that  it  was 
too  late  in  the  season  to  proceed  farther  with  the  expedi 
tion.  General  Johnson  disbanded  his  army ;  and  leaving  six 
hundred  men  to  garrison  the  fort,  resigned  his  commis- 
sion, and  returned  in  the  lu  o.Ue  of  December  to  his  home 
at  Mount  Johnson. 


In  the  conduct  of  th''3  campaign.  General  Johnson  has 
been  severely  censured  in  two  particulars ;  first,  in  not 
following  up  the  routed  army  of  Dieskau,  and  thus  pre- 

'  This  manuscript  letter  is  dated  Oct.  8th,  1765.  I  have  in  my  possession 
many  manuscript  letters  testifying  to  the  same  thing.  The  one  in  the  text 
is  selected,  that,  coming  ftrom  a  New  England  man,  it  may  have  more 
weight.    It  is  from  Surgeon  Williams  to  his  wife. 

GO 


jpi 


!  ^! 


-^! 


522 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CHAP,  venting  its  escape  down  Lake  Champlain :  and  secondly, 
v-v-^  that  instead  of  boldly  advancing  against  Crown  Point,  he 
1766.  allowed  the  autumn  to  pass  awn^  in  comparative  inactivity, 
contenting  himself  with  constructing  a  useless  fort.^ 
,.  Regarding  the  first  of  these  charges,  there  can  be  no 
question,  that  in  not  following  up  the  French  army,  the 
general  allowed  his  caution  to  prevail  over  the  better  judg- 
ment  of  his  officers.  General  Lyman  begged  that  with  his 
men  flushed  with  their  recent  victory  and  anxious  for  the 
pursuit,  he  might  be  sent  after  the  enemy.  The  reply 
given  to  him  by  the  general — "that  he  had  reason  to 
expect  a  renewal  of  the  attack,  and  that  it  would  be  dan- 
gerous to  weaken  the  main  body  of  the  army  by  sending 
out  detachments  to  scour  the  country,"  is  not  sufficient  to 
justify  his  I'efusal  of  Lyman's  request.  Exhausted  and 
dispirited  as  the  enemy  were,  they  were  in  no  condition  to 
have  made  a  successful  defense,  much  less  to  have  resum- 
ed the  aggressive ;  and  the  probability  is,  that  if  General 
Lyman's  suggestion  had  been  followed,  the  gates  of  Fort 
Frederick  never  would  have  opened  to  receive  the  broken 
ranks  of  Dieskau's  army. 

Respecting  the  second  and  more  serious  of  these  criti- 
cisms, however,  General  Johnson  is  not  so  culpable  as  may 
at  first  appear.  It  was  well  known  to  the  general,  both 
through  the  baron's  papers,  and  through  scouts  which  he 
had  dispatched  for  that  purpose,  that  Crown  Point  was 
heavily  garrisoned,  and  that  at  Ticonderoga,  strong  breast 
works  had  been  thrown  up.^  The  experience  of  the  last 
enj^ao'cment  had  shown  him  how  difficult  it  was  for  even 
thoroughly  trained  troops  to  capture  rude  and  hastily  con- 
structed defences ;  and  he  therefore  very  wisely  hesitated 
before  attacking,  with  raw  and  undisciplined  militia,  breast 
works  which  had  been  carefully  put  up,  and  which  were 

1  Vide  :  Review  of  military  operations,  in  a  Letter  to  a  Nobleman.  See 
also  Bancroft,  and  Dr.  Dwight's  Travrh,  vol.  ill. 

>  M\ior  General  Johnson  to  Lieutenant  Charles  Hardy,  Sept.  16th,  1755. 
See  also  Capt.  Roger's  Jourrtnl. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


m 


defended  by  regulars,  trained  under  the  best  generals  of  otap. 
Europe.*    In  addition  to  this,  the  artillery  of  the  enemy  v-v—' 
which  on  his  first  movement  down  the  lake,  could  be^^^^ 
easily  transported  from  Crown  Point  to  Ticonderoga,  was 
such  as  to  make  an  attack  hazardous  in  the  extreme,  unless 
with  a  very  strong  army  of  disciplined  troops,  and  with  a 
sufficient  supply  of  heavy  ordnance,  neither  of  which 
Johnson  possessed.     That  he  was  sadly  deficient  in  the 
requisite  artillery,  is  sufficiently  evident  from  the  following 
official  correspondence  between  himself  and  Captain  Wil- 
liam Eyre,  who  was  chief  of  the  ordnance  department,  and 
considered  a  very  accomplished  and  skillful  officer:      ,;  s:- 

■■*    ■  -■■'■•  ■  ,<.       ■  ■• 

,tj: ,  i.  _    i       General  Johnson  to  Captain  Eyre. 

"  Camp  at  Lake  George,  Sept.  29th,  1755. 
"  Sir :  I  desire  you  will  give  me  your  opinion  in  writing 
whether  the  artillery  and  stores  thereunto  belonging  at  this 
camp,  at  Fort  Edward,  and  left  on  the  road  between  said 
fort  and  Albany,  are,  according  to  the  late  intelligence  we 
have  received  relating  to  the  enemy,  sufficient  for  proceed- 
ing on  the  present  expedition.  1  . 

"I  am.  Sir,  &c., 

"WM.  JOHNSON. 

Captain  Eyre  to  General  Johnson.  -.,r    ' 

■'■■''        '  " Lake  George,  Sept.  29th,  1755. 

"  Sir :  Pursuant  to  your  order  of  this  day,  to  know  my 
opinion  whether  the  artillery  and  stores  here,  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward, and  on  the  road  from  Albany  to  the  last  mentioned 
place,  are  sufficient  to  proceed  against  Crown  Point,  I  an- 
swer NO,  upon  the  supposition  that  our  accounts  from  the 
French  are  to  be  depended  on ;  as  this  information  acquaints 
us  that  they  have,  (meaning  the  enemy,)  thirty-three  pieces 
of  cannon,  many  of  them  16  and  24  pdrs.,  equal  or  nearly 

'The  experience  of  Abercromlie,  in  1758,  in  attacking  the  breastworks 
erected  by  Montcalm  at  Ticonderoga,  shows  that  Johnson  did  well  to  hesi- 
itte. 


'  '  i ! 


524 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


::f? 


1766. 


■  .^■>. 


OTAP.  to  our  24  and  82  pdrs.,  and  also  thirty-five  mortars.  ITow 
our  strength  consists  of  four  battering  pieces,  viz :  two 
32  pdrs.,  and  two  18  pdrs.,  two  12  pdrs.,  and  eight  6 
pdrs.,  besides  one  13  inch  mortar,  with  four  smaller  ones 
from  five  inch  and  a  half  diameter  to  seven  inches  :  and 
add  to  this  a  scarcity  of  6  pd.  ball.  These  are  my  reasons 
for  determining  me  to  think  our  present  state  of  artillery 
not  sufficient. 

"  I  am,  Sir,  &c., 
'  "  WILL.  EYRE,  Engineer. 

"N".  B.    Our  howitzers  split  during  the  late  engage- 
ment."*     •  f        •     ,  f  ;  .      r  ; 

It  was  the  duty  of  General  Johnson  to  be  guided  by 
this  advice  ;  and  had  he,  with  the  knowledge  of  this  state 
of  facts,  attempted  an  attack  on  Crown  Point  and  failed, 
the  caustic,  but  prejudiced  and  unreasonable  pen  of  the 
author  of  A  Letter  to  a  Nobleman^  would  have  been  equally 
wielded  in  demonstrating  its  folly.  It  is  reasonable,  also, 
to  presume  that  a  general  on  the  spot,  with  a  knowledge  of 
the  means  at  his  command,  and  whose  bravery  and  skill 
never  has  been  questioned,  should  have  been  better  able  to 
judge  of  the  txpediency  of  an  attack,  than  a  civilian, 
comfortably  seated  in  his  easy  chair,  far  removed  from  the 
scene  of  operations. 

Want  of  energy  was  not  one  of  Johnson's  faults.  He 
was  anxious  to  proceed,  and  felt  annoyed  at  the  delay. 
Even  if  everything  otherwise  had  been  favorable,  the  lack 
of  suitable  means  for  transporting  his  supplies  was  suflicient 
to  retard  the  expedition  until  too  late  in  the  season  to 
advance.  "  Our  Expedition,"  he  writes,  "  is  like  to  be 
extremely  distressed  and  I  fear  fatally  retarded  for  the  want 
of  wagons.  The  people  of  the  county  of  Albany  and  the 
adjacent  counties,  hide  their  wagons  and  drive  away  their 
horses ;  most  of  the  wagonera  taken  into  this  service  have 
deserted ;  some  horses  are  quite  jaded,  and  some  few  killed 

>  This  official  roanuscript  correspondence,  which  I  have  found  among  the 
Johnson  manuscripts,  has  never  before  seen  the  light. 


I';,    ii! 


\"i' 


r. 

oiortars.  Now 
ecea,  viz:  two 
8.,   and  eight  6 

•  smaller  ones 
Q  inches :  and 
are  my  reasons 
ate  of  artillery 

IE,  Engineer, 
lie  late  engage- 

•  .      i   -«■  1  . 

he  gnided  by 
Ige  of  this  state 
Point  and  failed, 
ahle  pen  of  the 
ave  heen  equally 
reasonable,  also, 
I  a  knowledge  of 
ravery  and  skill 
sen  better  ahle  to 

than  a  civilian, 
emoved  from  the 

eon's  faults.  He 
ed  at  the  delay. 
avorable,  the  lack 
)lie8wa8  8uflicient 
in  the  season  to 
8,  «  is  like  to  be 
iirded  for  the  want 

f  Albany  and  the 
I  drive  away  tbeir 
)  this  service  have 
id  some  few  killed 

have  found  among  the 


LIPE   OP   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


625 


by  the  enemy,  and  several  run  away.  Most  of  our  pro-  ™^/'' 
visions  are  at  Albany ;  a  great  part  of  our  ammunition  at*— ^— ' 
the  lower  camp,  and  all  our  bateaux  except  a  hundred  and^'^^' 
twenty.  To  bring  a  sufficient  quantity  of  provisions  here, 
and  all  other  necessaries  for  an  embarkation  upon  the  lake 
in  due  time,  will  require  four  or  five  hundred  wagons  at 
least.  I  have  written  to  the  mayor  and  magistrates  of 
Albany,  and  sent  them  an  impress  warrant  and  called  upon 
a  special  commission  to  an  active  officer  to  superintend 
and  dispatch  the  wagons.  I  sent,  some  time  ago,  a  posi- 
tive order  to  all  the  commissaries  at  Albany  to  forward  all 
the  provisioua  and  stores  in  their  hands ;  since  which  we 
have  only  sixty  wagons,  none  of  which,  as  I  can  find,  were 
dispatched  by  the  New  York  commissaries,  who  being 
livers  in  Albany,  and  men  in  power  there,  might,  I  appre- 
hend, if  they  had  properly  exerted  themselves,  have  for- 
warded the  common  cause  very  much  with  regard  to 
wagons.  We  had  not  above  two  days  allowance  of  bread 
in  camp,  when  these  sixty  wagons  arrived,  and  I  hear  they 
are  short  at  the  other  fort."  ^ 

Thus  hampered  by  the  remissness  of  contractors,  whom 
no  exertions  on  his  part  could  stimulate  into  activity,  all 
the  general  could  do  was  to  employ  his  men  in  erecting  a 
fort,  hoping  by  this  course  to  prevent  any  insubordination 
that  might  arise  through  idleness.  He  was  moreover, 
unwilling  to  have  his  retreat  cut  ofi"  by  way  of  Wood  creek, 
in  case  he  was  unsuccessful,  by  not  having  an  open  '.'.om- 
munication  with  Fort  Edward  and  Albany.  Bolunesi; 
alone  does  not  constitute  a  good  soldier,  and  he  who 
neglects  to  provide  for  every  foreseen  contingency,  is  defi- 
cient in  the  first  requisite  for  a  good  general. 

Although  General  Johnson,  owing  to  causes  over  which 
he  had  no  control,  was  unsuccessful  in  the  original  object 
of  the  expedition,  yet  his  services  were  appreciated  both  by 
the  crown  and  by  the  people  of  his  own  province ;  the 
former  creating  him  in  November  a  baronet  of   Great 

•Gen.  Johnson  to  Sir  Charles  Hardv,  Sept.  Ifith,  1750, 


■y'> 


526 


LIFE   OF   SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


CHAP.  Britain, '  and  the  latter  greeting  him  with  an  illumination 

>— ,, — '  and  a  triumphal  procesHion  on  his  arrival  at  New  York 

^'^^-  the  last  of  December.    Parliament,   also,  voted  him  its 

thanks  for  his  victory,  together  with  the  handsome  sum  of 

live  thousand  pounds. '  ;;      .  •  c.  •'    ■■' 

The  action  of  the  eightli  of  September,  so  far  as  concerns 
the  number  of  men  engaged,  was  not  a  great  battle ;  but 
when  viewed  in  its  immediate  strategical  results,  it 
well  deserves  a  prominent  place  among  the  battles  of 
American  history.  The  Rev.  Cortlandt  Van  Rensselaer, 
in  his  admirable  discourse  upon  the  battle  of  Lake  George, 
thus  sums  up  its  results : 

"  I.  The  battle  of  Lake  George  is  memorable  in  defeat- 
ing a  well  laid,  dangerous  scheme  of  the  enemy,  and  in 
saving  the  province  from  scenes  of  bloodshed  9,nd  desola- 
tion. If  Dieskau  had  succeeded  in  overthrowing  Johnson 
in  his  entrenchments,  his  advance  upon  Fort  Edward  would 
have  been  easily  successful,  and  thence  his  march  to  Albany 
would  have  been  triumphant.  Old  Hendrik,  at  the  con- 
vention of  the  preceding  year,  had  warned  the  province  of 
its  danger.  "  You  are  without  any  fortifications,"  said  he ; 
"  It  is  but  a  step  from  Canada  hither,  and  the  French  may 
easily  come  and  turn  you  out  of  doors."  The  conflagra- 
tion of  our  northern  settlements  would  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  the  desolation  of  Albany  and  Schenectady ;  and 
although  Dieskau  must  have  soon  been  compelled  to 
retreat,  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  bloodshed,  plunder, 
and  general  losses  which  might  have  taken  place,  had  not 
God  ordered  it  otherwise.  His  providence  was  on  our 
side.  The  victory  of  Lake  George  undoubtedly  rescued 
the  province  from  injnrv  and  woe  beyond  computation; 
considered,  therefore,  nx  its  immediate  strategical  results, 
the  battle  was  one  of  the  important  engagements  in  Ameri- 
can history. 

>  JohuHon's  baronetcy  dates  from  Nov.  27tli,  1765. 

»For  the  manner  in  wliich  Johnson  invested  the  £600'>,  the  curious 
reaier  is  referred  to  mauuncript  letter  in  Appendix  vii. 


k 


LIFE   OF  SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 

"  II.  The  battle  of  Lake  George  is  remarkable  for  its  influ-  chap. 
ence  in  rallying  the  spirit  of  the  American  colonies.    Much  had  w^-' 
been  expected  from  the  three  expeditions  sent  against  the  ^^^^' 
French ;  but  disappointment  and  sorrow  had  already  fol- 
lowed Braddock's  terrible  defeat.    It  was  more  than  the 
moaning  of  the  forest  pine  in  the  ears  of  the  solitary 
traveler ;  it  was  the  blaze  of  lightning  falling  upon  the 
mountain  oak  in  his  very  path,  followed  by  the  crash  of 
thunder.    All  the  provinces  were  amazed,  awe-struck,  pa- 
ralyzed for  a  time ;  but  recovering  from  the  first  shock  of 
i:he  calamity,  they  were  aroused  to  avenge  their  loss.    Their 
hopes  were  turned  to  Lake  George  and  Niagara,  and  not 
in  vain.    Johnson's  victory  was  received  as  the  precursor 
of  a  recovered  military  position  and  fame,  and  was  hailed 
ae  che  means  of  deliverance  from  a  bold  and  cruel  foe. 
Few  battles  ever  produced  more  immediate  results  in 
rekindling  military  and  martial  enthusiasm.     Cougratula- 
tionb  poured  in  upon  General  Johnson  fronj  every  quarter. 
Not  only  were  the  colonies  filled  with  rejoicing,  but  the 
influence  of  the  triumph  went  over  to  England,  and  the 
deeds  of  our  fathers  at  the  camp  of  Lake  George  became 
familiar  to  the  ears  of  royalty,  and  were  applauded  by  the 
eloquence  of  parliament.     The  moral  effects  of  a  battle  in 
which  the  forces  arrayed  against  each  other  were  corii- 
paratively  small  have  rarely  been  greater  q,nd  more  decided 
in  the  whole  range  of  military  annals, 

"  in.  Viewed  simply  in  a  military  aspect,  the  battle  of 
Lake  George  was  the  only  successful  achieverfieifit  within  the 
thirteen  colonies,  during  the  campaign  ;  "  1755 ;  which  is  another 
item  of  its  various  renown.  Braddock's  defeat  on  the 
Mouongahela,  and  Shirley's  retreat  from  Oswego,  brought 
ruin  upon  the  expeditions  framed  for  the  reduction  of  Forts 
Duquesne  a  i;  ■)  Niagara.  Although  the  northern  expedition 
failed  in  its  object  of  redr  ing  Fort  Frederick  it  had  a 
show  of  glory  in  the  brilluint  success  of  a  r  -  ^  fought 
battle.  Success  in  one  direction  often  overbalances  dis- 
aj;-^,ointment  in  another.     The  victory  of  General  Jot*   on 


m 


m 


I'': 


mi 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


-i\A  ■ 


CHAP,  was  the  great  event  of  the  campaign  of  1755,  solitary  in 
Wy— /  the  honors  of  its  military  ti'iumph,  and  shining  out,  bright 
1766.  as  Mars,  from  the  clouds  of  iight 

"  IV.  The  victory  of  La,k,i  Goorgo  occurred  in  a  series 
of  campaigns  that  ended  m  th',  vmquivi  of  Canada  and  of  the 
valley  of  tJi£  great  west.  Here,  ixi  the  foro  t,  v  'as  the  base  of 
a  line  of  operati oas  on  v^hich  wei,  Wi(v;  .;iit  cut  great 
problems  <>i  war.  The  ri'mntains  of  the  ijike  were  land- 
Hi'firks  to  0'  oduct  cur  armies  from  summit  to  summit  of 
acuievemen;.,  until,  passirg  over  all  barriers,  they  found 
their  resting*-  pla-  >  m  tVe  valleys  :)i  Bt  Law/ence  and  Mis- 
sisfaippi.  Uukno^vn  resuits  of  territonal  acquisition,  and 
of  political  and  religious  destiuv  luy  '".oncealed  in  the 
expedition  which  started  foi  ihe  capture  of  a  single  fort  on 
Lake  Champlain  and  for  the  defence  of  the  limited  bound- 
ary line  of  a  province.  God  disposes  of  man's  proposals. 
The  lucid  purposes  of  an  all-comprehensive  providence, 
undiscernible  by  mo?  tal  eyes,  are  brought  to  pass  by  the 
majestic  developmeiis  of  events  apparently  remote  in  their 
relations  as  trivial  in  n\agnitude.  The  American  victory 
of  Lake  George  was  not  an  isolated  item  of  one  campaign. 
It  was  more  than  a  simple  triumph  in  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness,— a  military  achievement  of  the  New  England  and 
New  York  yeomanry  which  saved  themselves  from 
destruction.  Far  higher  its  moral,  political  and  warlike 
connections.  It  headed  a  series  of  successes  that  were 
followed  by  the  gain  of  kingdoms.  It  animated  the  deter- 
mination of  the  country  to  take  decisive  measures  for 
deliverance  from  Fre*^-^'  aggressions  and  agitations. 
"Canada,  my  lord,"  wrote  a  distingiiished  New  Yorker, 
in  reviewing  the  operations  of  the  campaign,  "  Canada 
must  be  demolished, — Delenda  est  Cartlmgo, — or  we  are 
undone."  ^  The  result  was  not  anticipated  atthe  beginning, 
but  the  natural  teuvl'  ncy  of  the  contest  was  theovcrtkrow 
of  French  dominir  u  the  continent.  Johnson's  vi.  ory 
had  atrue  influen;  relation  to  this  end.    Astl     south- 


>  Review  of  iiu  J  r 


rations. 


IT. 

755,  solitary  iu 
uing  out,  bright 

rred  in  a  series 
<znada  and  of  the 
V  'as  the  base  of 
t.;vht  cut  great 
lake  were  land- 
ait  to  summit  of 
•iera,  they  found 
iTV/ence  and  Mis- 
acquisition,  and 
^.oncealed  in  the 
if  a  single  fort  on 
le  limited  hound- 
'  man's  proposals, 
isive  providence, 
fht  to  pass  by  the 
tly  remote  in  their 
American  victoiy 
of  one  campaign, 
unbroken  wilder- 
ew  England  and 
themselves   from 
tical  and  warlike 
Bcesses  that  were 
jnimated  the  deter- 
sive measures  for 
and    agitations, 
ed  New  Yorker, 
mpaign,   "Canada 
Oiogo, — or  we  are 
,d  at  the  beginning, 
was  the  overthir "w 
Johnson's  ^n^•'y 
>nd.    Astl     south- 


LIFK  OF   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   UARI. 


529 


ern  inlet  near  Fort  George  joins  itself  to  the  lake,  whose  chap. 
waters  flow  to  the  north,  and,  tossed  over  cascades  and  wy— ' 
waterfalls,  pass  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  so  the  expedition  of  ^^Cfi. 
1755,  identifying  itself  with  a  vast  expanse  of  agencies, 
pressed   forward    the  natural  current    of  its  direction, 
over  the  rocks  and  reverses  of  campaigns,  into  Canada. 
But  Canada  was  only  a  part  of  the  great  acquisitions  of 
the  war.    The  whole  northwest  was  wrested  from  France, 
together  with  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  lying  easterly 
of  that  river,  with  the  exception  of  the  island  of  Orleans. 
"V.  The    battle   of  Lake    George    was   furthermore 
memorable  in  its  svggestions  of  provincial  prowess,  and  its 
lessms  of  warfare  to  the  colonies  preparatory  to  their  indepen- 
dence.   The  battle  was  fought  by  provincial  troops,  and 
chiefly  by  the  hardy  sons  of  glorious  New  England.    The 
veteran  regulars  of  Old  England  had  been  beaten  in  the 
forests  of  western  Pennsylvania,  or  remained  inactive  in 
the  Niagara  expedition.    Through  some  unaccountable 
cause,  the  expedition,  which  was  on  the  direct  line  of 
Canada,  and  nearest  to  the  French  reinforcements,  known 
to  be  at  hand,  was  consigned  to  the  exclusive  care  of  native 
colonial  soldiers;  and  bravely  did  they  do  their  duty. 
On  these  shores  provincial  prowess  signalized  its  self-relying 
and  unaided  capabilities ;  and  in  this  battle  and  in  this 
war  the  colonies  practically  learned  the  value  of  union  and 
the  unconquerable  energies  of  a  free  people.    Putnam 
and  Stark,  and  Pomeroy,   came  here,   as  to  a  military 
academy,  to  acquire  the  art  of  warfare ;  and  they  all  exer- 
cised their  experience  at  Bunker  Hill.    George  "Washing- 
ton himself,  as  a  military  man,  was  nurtured  for  America 
and  the  world  amid  the  forests  of  the  Alleghanies  and  the 
rifles  and  tomahawks  of  these  French  and  Indian  struggles. 
Lake  George  and  Saratoga  are  contiguous  not  merely  in 
i'    itory.  but  in  heroic  association.    Correlative  ideas, 
evolved  under  varying  circumstances,  they  are  proofs  of 
the  ^ame  spirit  of  liberty,  the  san^e  strong  energy  of  pur^ 
pose." 


■'  1 1 


67 


i]:    i 


,  I  \ 


W 


■  lAi  'I 


'..>.. .)■.,.. 


iXl.t   .i{   '    .•:l]fc 


\-i\J 


I  »  i     , 


■■J,  --i     •-' 


":  ■  .1.   t(i  •■.•.,tj,^.'u/>    ; 
I,.      ^  -,.  • 


CHAP. 

xvu. 


1766. 


■■■.    .     •',,vtM',i>  i    .'        t    .„,.,;  ♦  .,;(.    r  , 
!     I    i:(..    .»'  I'  ■  •;'     ....I    (■•)•;     »'M .,';  ;. 
'       •  .i  .  '    .   ■..        flu';-.')    j    ,j, *.!,■, 

^h:..d:  v:i.      CHAPTER  XVII.      .1     i  mJj 

"'"^^'^''^"•■■"  ^"^''-^    1755-1756.    ■'•'^•■-'''•^'^f'"".'^  '"■■ 

The  uews  that  Sir  Charles  Hardy  was  to  take  the  reins 
of  government  arrived,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  the  Dc  Lan- 
cey  party,  early  in  March,  but  it  was  not  until  the  third  of 
September  that  the  new  governor  landed  in  New  York. 
The  ship  of  war  in  which  he  came  anchored  in  the  harbor 
upon  the  second,  but  the  lieutenant  governor  detained  him 
on  board  until  the  next  day,  under  the  pretence  that  the 
military  were  not  quite  ready  to  receive  him  ;  but  in  reality 
that  he  might  have  an  evening  with  him  alone  to  secure 
him  to  the  interests  of  his  faction. 

Sir  Charles  Hardy,  the.  one  whom  the  ministiy  had  selected 
to  succeed  Sir  Danvers  Osborne,  was,  like  Clinton,  an  unlet- 
tered British  admiral ;  and  he  had  not  landed  long,  before 
it  became  apparent  that  like  him  also,  he  had  not  sufficient 
executive  talent  to  govern  without  a  leader.  He  therefore 
soon  resigned  himself  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  De  Lancey, 
who  thus  for  the  third  time  became  governor.*  His  first  mes- 
sage to  the  assembly  o^  the  fourth — three  days  after  that 
body  had  been  convened  and  opened  by  Mr.  De  Lancey,— 
fully  endorsed  the  message  of  the  latter ;  expressod  his 
pleasure  at  the  energy  which  they  had  shown  in  granting 
supplies ;  and  closed  with  complimenting  the  lieutenant 
governor,  who,  saidhe,  "  from  his  attachment  to  his  majesty's 
service,  and  great  knowledge  of  the  country,  has  laid  this 
matter  before  you  in  a  way  that  leaves  me  nothing  to  require, 
but  that  you  would  proceed  with  the  utmost  dispatch  on  the 
matters  recopajnended  in  his  message." 

The  house,  however,  resolved  on  the  fifth,  that  the  season 


LIFB   0J7   SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


681 


)r.*    His  first  mes- 


fth,  that  the  seasou 


was  toi)  far  advanced  to  raise  Tiieii  in  time  for  the  expedition  <^ap. 
against   Crown    Point;   but  as  it  understood  that   Con-^.,— / 
uecticut  was  actually  raising  for  General  Johnson's  army  ^^^^' 
two  thousand  men,  who  from  the  forwardness  of  the  levies 
could  reasonably  be  expected  to  reach  that  general  in  time 
for  action,  it  would  contribute    eight  thousand  pounds 
toward  their  equipment. '    In  order  that  this  resolve  might 
not  seem  to  be  dictated  by  a  refractory  spirit,  the  house  on 
the  eleventh  sent  up  to  the   new  governor  an  address 
couched  in  the  most  courteous  language,  in  which,  after 
congratulating  him  upon  his  safe  arrival,  it  assured  him 
that  the  great  regard  his  most  sacred  majesty  had  shown 
his  loyal  colony  by  appointing  a  gentleman  of  his  excel- 
lency's upright  character  to  preside  over  it,  was  a  happy 
presage  of  its  future  prosperity ;  "  and  your  excellency  may 
be  confident  of  meeting  with  all  the  assistance  for  attaining 
that  most  desired  end,  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  a  dutiful 
people  to  give."    He  was  also  informed  in  this  same  mes- 
Bage,  of  the  custom,  usual  upon  the  arrival  of  a  new 
governor,  of  dissolving  the  assembly  and  'ssuing  writs  for 
a  new  election  ;  and  that  if  he  thought  that  duch  a  measure, 
iu  the  present  state  of  aft'airs,  would  be  con8i3'         dth  his 
majesty's  service,  it  would  be  agreoable  to  them,  .u..'  to  the 
people  whom  they  had  the    honor  to   represent.     The 
governor,  in  his  answer  on  the  ninth,  thanked  them  for  these 
expressions  of  good  feeling,  assuring  him  as  they  did,  that 
a  governor  who  made  the  welfare  of  the  colony  the  rule 
of  his  conduct,  would  always  meet  with  their  confidence 
and  assistance.      "Whatever  may    appear,"   he  added, 
"  advisable  at  this  juncture,  for  the  peace  and  good  of  the 


province,  I  cannot  but  take  notice  of  tht 


that  must 


redound  to  you,  gentlemen,  who  from  a  consciousness  of 
the  rectitude  of  your  conduct,  thus  refer  yourselves  to  the 
voice  of  the  people."  He  did  not,  however,  think  it 
advisable  to  dissolve  the  assembly ;  and  after  passing,  on 


>  Journals  of  the  assembly. 


582 


UJTK   OF  6ia   WILLIAM  JOUSISON,   BAKT. 


* 


:  ,  ,'*>' 


:i 


iii, ., 


Xi 


\l  .^.. 


1766. 


OTAf.  the  cleveuth,  the  bill  of  eight  thousand  pounds  for  Con. 
necticut,  he  prorogued  the  assembly. 

The  day  alter  the  prorogation,  a  letter  from  Colonel  Blaij- 
•^iard  waa  received  by  Sir  Charles,  informing  him  in  general 
terms  of  the  aetion  of  the  eighth  of  September ; '  but  it  was 
notuatil  the  fourteenth,  that  his  exeellency  communicated  to 
his  council  a  letter  of  the  tenth  instant  frohi  Peter  "Wraxall,' 
aid-de-camp  to  General  Johnson,  containing  a  full  account 
of  the  defeat  of  the  French  army  and  the   capture  of  itn 
gc^jiui.     ^*  thf    ame  time  he  laid  before  the  board  letters 
from    Governor    "VVentworth    and    Lieutenant   Governor 
Phipps.     The  former  wrote  that  Xew  Hamy  nhire  had  passed 
an  act  for  raising  three  hundred  men  for  the  Crown  Point 
expedition  ;  and  the  latter  informed  him  that  Massachu- 
setts had  already  in  the  field  two  thousand  men  in  addition 
to  their  former  quota  of  eight  hundred,  rai-ed  forjheeame 
object.     These  letters  were  accompanied  by  a  suggestion 
from  the  executive  that  as  these  additional  reinforcements 
mijrht  occasion  a  scarcity  of  provisions  among  the  troops, 
it  would  be  well  to  send  a'  »nce  to  Albai   ■  an  ample  8ui>- 
ply  of  stores.     Acting  upou  this  hint,  the  *.•    ncildirecti! 
Mr.  Oliver  De  Lancey  to  fonvard  the  requisi:     upplies,  u 
to  purchase  and  send  to  Albany  three  hundred  muskis, 
in  addition  to  those  belonging  to  the  province       ich  were 
already  in  his  hands.    After  some  farther  suggestion^ 
respecting   the  health   of   the   city  in   his  absence,  tiu 
govt  !nor,  h.'iving  appointed  Thursday,  thesecoiid  of  Octo- 
ber,  iS  a  day  of  public  thanksgiving  for  the  defeat  of  the 
enemy,  sailed  for  Albany  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. ' 
The  govern   ^'s  object  in  going  to  Albany  at  this  time, 
wai-    that  being  nearer  the  seat  of  operations,  he  might  be 
bett'.  r  ible  to  hasten  che  supplies  delayed  by  the  remissness 

'Matt  iwsript  letter:  Gold»brow  Banyar  to  Johnson,  Sep'  13,  1755. 
*  Aft  ward  priTate  secretary  to  Johnson.  He  died  July  11th,  IT.'!* 
*HanaMript  letter:  Banyar  to  Johnson.     Sir  Charles  was  accompanied 

on  this  voyage  by  De  Lancey,  Ilorsmanden,   Rutherford  and  Pownal,  ^'e 

first  three  being  members  of  his  council. 


IT. 


OF   SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


588 


ouuds  ior  Cou. 

m  Colonel  Blan- 
ghim  ingcncnil 
iber;'  hut  it  was 
-ommunicatedto 
I  peter  "Wraxall,' 
ng  a  full  account 
le   capture  of  itrt 
the  board  letttr:* 
tenant   Governor 
T' shire  had  passed 
the  Crown  Poiul 
n  that  Massachu- 
id  men  in  addition 
■ai-ed  fonheBame 
d  by  a  suggestion 
lal  reinforcements 
[among  the  troops, 
irv  an  ample  sup- 
le  <..   mcil  direci*!(l 
uisi:     upplie8,at;' 
hundred  muskets, 
ovinco       "chwere 
irther  suggestion^ 
liis  absence,  tlv^ 
he  second  of  Oct  - 
I-  the  defeat  of  the 
of  the  same  day. ' 
Ibany  at  this  time, 
itions,  he  might  be 
d  by  the  remissness 


,on,  Sept  13,  ^56- 
,ed  July  nth,  1759 
:harle»  was  accompanied 
>erford  and  Pownal,  Uie 


of  the  Albany  authorities,  and  personally  suporintend  the  chap. 
forwarding  of  the  Connecticut  troops.     His  visit,  however,  *_,,.-/ 
accomplished  little ;  and  havinir  concerted  measures  with  ^^^ 
the  Massachusetts  and  Coimecticut  commissioners  respect- 
ing the  garrisoning  of  Forts  Edward  and  William  Henry, 
and  giving  a  few  general  orders  to  the  militia  officers  to 
liold  themselves  ready  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning,  he 
returned  to  the  city  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  November. 

The  governor  met  his  assembly  on  the  second  of  Decem- 
ber, and  in  his  message  the  day  following,  annotni'  ed  the 
victory  of  Gen  eral  Johnson  over  Baron  Dieskau.   Although 
the  expedition  had  not  been  attended  with  those  important 
results  which  he  had  hoped  for,  yet  it  had  been  productive 
of  much  b<"  lefit.    The  two  forts  which  had  been  constructed 
at  the  gri'.    carrying  place  and  the  head  of  Lake  George, 
would  not  only  facilitate  any  luture  attempt  upon  the 
French  in  that  direction,  but,  if  properly  garrisoned,  add 
greatly  to  the  security  of  the  frontier.    In  the  same  mes- 
sage, Sir  Charles  made  public,  for  the  first  time,  the  disa- 
greeable instructions  with  which  he  had  been  charged  by 
the  ministry ;  and  therefore  now  demanded,  in  the  name 
of  the  king,  the  passage  of  a  law  for  settling  a  permanent 
revenue  on  a  solid  foundation — said  law  to  be  indefinite  arid 
wUhout  limitation  of  time — for  salaries  of  governors,  judges, 
and  all  the  necessary  charges  of  the  government.    As, 
moreover,  the  two  forts,  erected  by  the  provincial  army,  were 
to  be  garrisoned  with  troops  rai  ^d  by  each  province,  he 
recommended  an  immediate  provision  for  their  quota  of  the 
expenses  incident  to  this  service. 

In  their  answer,  on  the  ninth,  the  assembly  applauded 
the  governor  in  the  warmest  terms  for  hiB  zeal  in  promoting 
the  expedition  against  Crown  Point.  Wliile  they  confessed 
that  the  success  of  that  expedition  had  not  equalled  their 
expe*^  tations,  yet  the  advantage  gained  by  General  John- 
son \v  as  deserving  of  special  notice, — as  to  it  might  be 
ascribed  the  comparative  safety  of  the  frontier.  The 
measures,  also,  which  had  been  taken  in  erecting  and 


I 

'i 


'I  1  ■ 


584 


LIFE   OF  SIR   WILLI/.  W      OL  N30ir,   BART. 


1786. 


m^y^: 


'.< » 


'f' 


f/m' 


I 
K    1 


V    i' 


CHAP,  properly  giirnaoiiing  tho  forts,  wore,  in  their  eatinuitioii, 
well  jutlge<l ;  und  the  executive  imxlit  rest  Urtwured  thiit 
thoy  would  not  fail  to  defray  their  portion  of  the  expense. 
To  thut,  part  of  tho  meissage  demanding  an  unlimited  sup- 
port, their  answer  was  in  singular  contrast  to  the  nuvnner 
in  which  Mr.  Clinton's  similar  recjuest  had  been  met. 
"Wo  wish,"  they  eourtoously  replied,  "wo  could  with 
equal  satisfaction,  reconcile  to  ourselves  your  exeelleniy'H 
recommendation  of  an  indefinite  support ;  but  humbly 
beg  leave  to  inform  your  excellency  that  we  have  no  per- 
manent funds  on  which  to  csUiblish  such  a  revenue  ;  nor  do 
any  occur  to  us,  without  very  apjMrent  mconveninices  to  our  coU' 
stitiients.  Wo  therefore  most  humbly  trust  that  we  hIi-.H 
Btand  acquitted  in  tho  eyes  of  our  most  gracious  sovereign, 
if  we  decline  a  measure  so  directly  opposite  to  the  senlimaits  of 
almost  every  individual  of  the  colony." 

Tho  quiet  indilFercnco  with  which  the  demand  for  an 
indefinite  support  was  thus  met,  is  ascribed  by  Mi".  Liv- 
ingston to  the  influence  of  the  lieutenant  governor,  who, 
having  a  large  sum  due  him  for  past  services,  for  the  pas- 
sage of  which  the  governor's  consent  would  be  necessary, 
thought  it  best  to  treat  Sir  Charles  in  a  different  manner 
and  with  more  leniency  than  his  predecessor.  While,  how- 
ever, considerable  allowance  should  be  made  for  the  rancor 
of  that  writer  toward  his  political  opponents,  yet  it  is 
certain  that  there  was  a  marked  change  in  the  course  pur- 
sued by  Mr.  Be  Lancey ; — a  course,  moreover,  in  which  he 
was  aided  by  tho  conduct  of  Sir  Charles  himself,  who,  pre- 
ferring the  ease  and  emoluments  of  office  to  the  bitterness 
of  party  strife,  soothed  the  assembly  *'  with  hints  of  his 
disapprobation  of  the  orders  he  had  delivered  from  his 
master,  and  with  intimations  of  his  unwillingness  to  take 
umbrage  at  their  non-compliance."'         .,,..- 


If'  :): 


The  history  of  this  year  woul'l  be  incompilete  without 
some  reference  to  the  Indian  ravages  on  the  north-eastern 


:« Smith. 


•  1    j'i 


LIPH   OF   «IR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   DART. 


frontier.  The  provinciul  army  under  General  Johnson,  chap* 
while  it  ohceked  incurHions  along  the  chain  of  postH  in  the  w^ 
north-wcHtern  portion  of  MaRsachuHCttH,  did  not  stop  the  ^^^^'^ 
forays  of  the  enemy  on  the  Connectictit  river,  and  along 
the  Now  Hampshire  horder.  From  the  St.  Lawrence  to 
the  Connecticut  river,  an  easy  communication  by  Lake 
Memphremagog  was  open  to  the  8t.  Francis  Indians,  of 
which  they  were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves.  In  Keene, 
the  fort  was  attacked,  and  though  the  enemy  were  repulsed, 
yet  in  their  retreat  they  burned  several  houses,  slaughtered 
many  cattle,  and  killed  two  men. '  Near  Fort  Dummer,  a 
fortified  house  was  entered  in  the  evening,  through  strategy, 
by  a  party  of  Indians,  and  all  of  its  inmates  captured- and 
conveyed  to  Crown  Point.  Many  of  the  St.  Francis 
Indians  were  in  the  army  of  Dieskau,  and  their  defeat 
stimulated  them  the  more  to  deeds  of  increased  ferocity.  * 
Their  incursions  at  length  grew  so  frequent,  that  the 
government  of  New  Hampshire  was  appealed  to  for  a  body 
of  troops  to  protect  the  frontier.  This  appeal  being 
received  with  indifl'erence,  application  was  next  made  to 
Massachusetts  with  more  success  ;  and  a  body  of  troops 
v^as  sent  to  the  aid  of  the  settlers,  and  the  posts  on  the 
Connecticut  supplied  with  small  garrisons.'  Notwith- 
standing this,  however,  armed  bands  of  Indians  continued 
to  infest  the  woods,  lying  close  by  day,  only  to  wield  the 
hatchet  with  more  fatal  eftect  by  night.  Numerous  were 
the  midnight  alarms,  the  individual  murders,  the  burning 
dwellings.  Farmers  gathered  their  harvests  in  terror,  or 
more  frequently  left  them  to  rot  untouched  upon  the  field ; 
80  that  in  several  instances  the  inhabitants  were  threatened 
with  starvation.  * 

While  the  soil  of  New  Hampshire  was  watered  with  the 
blood  of  her  settlers.  Governor  Shirley,  who,  by  the  death 


{ 


»Hoyt. 
'Belknap,     if,    < 

•Hoyt.  -.itj   J,.; , 


*  Idem. 


f^ 


586 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNBOBT,   BART. 


i 
if 


I 


.f  i 


CHAP,  of  General  Braddock,  had  become  commander-in-chief  of 
v-v— /  all  his  majesty's  forces  in  America,  arrived  in  New  York 
1765.  tjje  second  of  December.  He  came  from  Albany,  whero 
he  had  been  engaged,  since  his  arrival  from  Oswego,  in 
forwarding  stores  and  munitions  to  the  garrison  of  that 
post.  Always  in  a  bustle,  he  never  made  progress ;  and 
although  his  plans  were  feasible  and  often  brilliant  on 
paper,  yet  in  their  practical  workings  they  were  sadly 
deficient.  His  magnificent  scheme  for  the  capture  of 
Niagara  having  failed,  the  winter  could  not  pass  without 
his  "revolving  in  his  busy  mind"  another  expedition 
against  the  enemy.  Accordingly,  on  his  arrival  in  New 
York,  he  immediately  summoned  a  grand  congress  of 
provincial  governors  to  meet  on  the  twelfth,  to  discuss  a 
plan  of  operations  for  the  next  year's  campaign.  * 

The  congress  was  opened  by  Mr.  Shirley  with  an  claLo- 
rate  and  strongly  written  statement  of  the  importance  of 
Oswego,  both  as  a  military  harbor,  and  as  being  situated 
in  the  country  of  the  Onondagas,  the  center  canton  of  the 
Confederacy.  Should  ihat  post  be  lost,  the  inevitable  con- 
sequence would  be,  "the  defection  of  the  Six  Nations,  the 
loss  of  the  whole  country,  for  nearly  three  hundred  liiiles 
from  Oswego  to  Schenectady,  and  perhaps  the  reduction 
of  Albany  itself."  Nor  should  he  be  surprised  to  hear  any 
day  of  its  capture,  so  long  as  the  French  held  Fort  Fron- 
tenac, — the  possession  of  which,  enabling  them  to  build 
»nd  maintain  "  vessels  of  force"  upon  the  lake.  Indeed, 
he  already  had  reliable  intelligence  that  the  enemy  wer*) 
now  constructing  three  large  vessels  in  the  harbor  of  Fron- 
tenac.  "Hence,"  concluded  Mr.  Shirley,  "could  the 
Frencl;i  be  disk  dged  from  that  post  and  the  little  fort  at 
Toronto ;  and  their  entrance  into  Lake  Ontario  obstructed, 
all  their  other  forts  and  settlements  on  the  Ohio  and  the 


1  This  council  was  composed  of  Governor  Shirley,  Sir  Charles  Hardy, 
Mr.  Fitch  of  Connecticut,  Mr.  Sharp  of  Maryland,  Mr.  Morris  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Colonel  Peter  Schuyler,  Colonel  Dunbar,  Major  Craven,  Miyor 
Jlutherford  and  Sir  John  St.  Clair. 


4 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 

western  lakes,  wonld  be  deprived  of  their  Bupport  from  chap. 
Ciinada,  and  must  ere  long  be  evacuated."  ^— y— ' 

Having  thus  prepared  the  members  of  the  congress  to  ^^'*^' 
regard  his  projects  with  favor,  Mr.  Shirley  laid  before 
them  his  plan  of  operations.  Five  thousand  men  were  to 
rendezvous  early  in  the  spring  at  Oswego,  whence  the  forts 
at  Niagara  and  Frontenac  were  to  be  attacked,  and  of 
course  taken  ;  three  thousand  provincials  were  to  march  at 
the  same  time,  by  way  of  Will's  creek,  upon  Fort  Du- 
quesne  ;  and  simultaneously  with  both  these  expeditions, 
ten  thousand  troops  were  to  proceed  against  Crown  Point, 
and  having  reduced  that  fort,  erect  a  regular  fortification  in 
its  place,  and  build  and  launch  seven  war  vessels  upon  the 
lake.  In  addition  to  this  large  force,  two  thousand  men 
were  to  march  up  the  Kennebec,  lay  waste  with  fire  and 
sword  the  French  settlements  on  the  Chaudi^re,  and  pen- 
etrate to  within  three  miles  of  Quebec.  Thus  menaced  at 
all  points,  disturbed  and  distracted,  Canada  must  succumb, 
and  the  governor's  long  cherished  project  of  expelling  the 
French  from  Canada,  would  be  accomplished!  Prepara- 
tory, however,  to  the  successfiil  prosecution  of  th«:, 
spring  campaign,  he  proposed  to  take  advantage  of  the 
freezing  of  the  lake  and  attack  Ticonderoga,  which,  from 
the  weakness  of  its  garrison,  he  was  sanguine  could  be 
captured.  This  plan  appeared  so  feasible,  and  was  withal 
so  confidently  stated,  that  in  its  chief  features  it  met  with 
the  almost  unanimous  approval  of  the  congress.  Sharpe, 
the  lieutenant-goverror  of  Maryland,  alone  augured  ill  for 
the  success  of  the  scheme.  "We  shall  have  good  reason 
to  sing  Te  Deum,  at  the  conclusion  of  this  campaign,"  he 
wrote,  "  if  matters  are  not  then  in  a  worse  situation  than 
they  are  at  present."  He,  however,  yielded  to  the  opinion 
of  the  majority ;  and  Major  Eutherford  and  Captain  Staats 
Morris  were  dispatched  to  England,  to  lay  the  plan  before 
the  ministry.  The  business  which  had  brought  the 
governors  together  being  finished,  they  returned  to  their 
several  provinces,  leaving  Shirley  in  Now  York,  busily 


'1 


I 
I 


08 


PI 


•-7WW" 


rll 


;■("!: 


i   i:^ 


III    ' 

If    ; 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 

CHAP,  engaged  in  endeavoring  to  win  the  assembly's  countenance 

v«.^w  to  his  winter  expedition. 

1766.  Success,  in  the  estimation  of  the  public,  is  always  the 
criterion  of  an  able  chieftain  ;  and  however  fair  and  plausi- 
ble the  plan  appeared  upon  paper,  yet  its  author  had 
invariably  been  so  unsuccessful  in  all  his  military  under- 
takings, that  the  assembly  looked  coldly  upon  the  design 
against  Ticonderoga,  and  refused  to  appropriate  anything 
for  that  object.  Finding  his  measures  feebly  supported, 
Governor  Shirley  in  disgust  returned  soon  after  the  holi- 
days  to  his  own  province,  to  induce  it  to  r.tsist  him  in  his 
winter  expedition,  and  receive  from  the  people  of  Bos- 
ton a  balm  for  his  wounded  feelings  in  the  form  of  an  ova- 
tion, gotten  up  as  an  offset  to  the  one  lately  given  to  Sir 
William  Johttsoii  in  New  YoFk. . 
■  _  _  -,-'-..-  ■;.■  ■  -^^.,^::  ■'.,.-:"  \ 
Sir  William  Johnson  spent  most  of  January  in  New 

York,  duiing  which  month,  a  tart  correspondence  was  held 
between  himself  and  Governor  Shirley  respecting  his  com- 
mission as  agent  of  Indian  aft'airs.  It  has  been  seen  that 
the  Baronet,  holding  his  commission  from  General  Brad- 
dock,  had  long  chafed  under  the  intcr'erenee  of  Shirley; 
and  the  reception  by  him  at  this  time  of  a  new  commission 
and  instructions  from  the  latter,  determined  him  to  bring 
the  matter  to  a  definite  understanding  at  once.  If  he  held 
any  commission  in  future  it  was  his  wish  to  hold  it  directly 
from  the  crown,  and  until  this  point  was  settled,  he  preter- 
ed  to  act,  if  he  acted  at  all,  under  the  one  which  he  then 
held  from  General  Braddock,  "  With  relation  to  the  now 
commission,"  he  writes,  "which  your  excellency  haa 
thought  proper  to  send  me,  I  must  beg  leave  to  observe 
to  your  excellency  that  I  apprehend  the  late  General  Brad- 
dock's  commission  to  me  for  the  sole  management  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations  and  their  allies, 
was  granted  in  consequence  of  the  royal  instructions,  and 
with  the  concurrence  of  the  council  of  Alexandria,  of 
which  your  excellency  was  a  member,  and  that  it  renuiius 


LIFE    OF  SIR  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


539 


)]y's  countenance 


still  in  force.  Under  this  opinion,  I  do  not  conceive  the«^HAP. 
necessity  of  your  issuing  another  commission  to  me,  or<-v— ' 
that  I  can  consistently  accept  of  it."  *  ^ '^®" 

)  To  this  rejection  of  the  commission,  Shirley  objected, 
on  the  ground  that  if  Braddock  had  given  him  such  a  com- 
mission it  must  have  been  by  sinking  the  commission  from 
the  king,  which  his  majesty  h.h.6  sent  to  be  delivered  to 
him.  He  however  said  that  he  should  not  insist  on  his 
acting  under  ,a  commission  from  him,  and  thus  gave 
up  the  point,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Baronet,  who 
replied,  that  he  was  happy  his  excellency  had  thought  it 
advisable  that  he  should  not  act  under  his  commission,  as 
otherwise  he  could  not  possibly  have  executed  the  trust 
reposed  in  him,  nor  do  that  service  which  the  public  cause 
required.  "  Your  excellency,"  added  the  Baronet,  "  i:s 
commander  in  chief  has  an  undoubted  right  to  direct  the 
measures  of  this  Lis  majesty'o  service,  and  to  send  me 
your  instructions  accordingly,  which  I  shall  think  it  my 
duty  to  obey,  but  how  far  at  each  particular  juncture,  and 
upon  each  oarticular  occasion,  and  in  what  peculiar  man- 
ner, I  may  be  able  to  manage,  and  persuade  the  six  Confed- 
erate nations  (who  tho'  allies  to  the  British  crown  are  very 
jealous  of  being  thought  dependent  upon  us)  to  engage  in 
this  or  that  measure,  must,  I  conceive,  while  I  have  the 
management  of  their  affairs,  be  left  to  mv  conduct  and 
discretion,  without  which,  unless  3'^our  excellency  conceives 
them  as  vassals,  you  must  know  that  no  one  can  manage 
their  affairs  properly ;  and  here  I  must  beg  leave  to  repre- 
sent to  your  fixcellency,  that  there  are  now  agents  acting 
among  the  Confederate  Indians,  without  an}^  knowledge 
)r  advice,  and  what  they  are  about  and  what  may  be  the 
coi^ sequence  of  their  measures,  I  cannot  answer  for.  I 
must  therefore  beg  that  your  excellency  give  orders  that 
they  be  withdrawn,  and  that  none  hereafter  be  sent  then*, 
but  by  my  direction  or  recommendation."* 

'Sir  William  Johnson  to  Governor  Shirloy,  Jan,  8d,  1756. 
'Sir  Wm.  Jolmsuu  to  Governor  Shirley  5th,  January  IToti. 


i 


'i-i 


PI 


'1 


540 


LIFB  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


CTfA>.     In  order,  however,  that  this  matter  might  be  settled  for 

s-v— '  the  future  on  a  permanent  basis,  the  Baronet  laid  the  whole 

^^^^'  case  before  the  lords  of  trade ;  the  result  of  which  was, 

that  in  July  he  received  through  Mr.  Secretary  Fox,  a 

commission  as  "  colonel,  agent,  and  sole  supbrinteitdent 

OP  ALL  THE  AFFAIRS  OF  THE  8lX  NATIONS  AND  OTHER  NORTH- 
ERN Indians,"  accompanied  with  a  salary  of  six  hundred 
pounds  per  annum.  At  the  same  time  instructions  came 
from  the  ministry  forbidding  each  northern  province  to 
transact  any  business  with  the  Indians.  The  Baronet  was 
thus  placed  on  the  independent  footing  which  he  hud  so 
long  desired;  and  the  entire  management  of  Indian  rela- 
tions was  given  into  his  hands,  "  with  no  subordination 

but  to  London."         (.If   ./^  .<     f*^    i;i!i;nii   hm;      ,!   a  fi:     < 

■-'!.     t>''rl'-:     "  7  I!  ''!!,•</ ■>    'ft;    Y 
'i';    j:>  --'n.      !.<-    U'^ih      P    )''r-:v    '\i-    !.   ■    ■  -'I     .     ;.r,,    ff; 


':.  :\ 


'i\ 


■  ^  'rC  •■),"!;*.     ;    l.,ti  /;    (ii    I 
•   .'  'J'!,    .  •',1      .  rl   r    'A',     '.il  H! 


J    K  r  v*i>' *f| ' 


■!    ( 


'* 


h  (V 


iit  7  . 

■■■••'I'i ; 
-..   .  I 


■,,i;i.'(a.i,i  Cm   '.i.i  i;  -ji'   ■/     V 
..    A  '  '  hn,[v;     ■'■.      '. 

j     ■•■'■,  ll.i!i   ,.;'|f  ,0     ',. 
,  :  -         '■.-''  '  'V^,,     ,  ,       1   .li 

.il-  i  '  •■■  !!Ci  ai'iv; 


I 


( 


!• 


I   ! 


^l 


, ■;.■  ;V /. : !    .'A:^-  .i  i-i 0 f. '  l'^ ». T  Mr-V     •  r^    •! i »  .( -£7.1 


•i,.,ij/'  n'^H      ..'(■)■.;-;.    .   :-,:      ■-     'i.,..'    m.'v.      ■'•.'.•!.>  ..i 


■  ',%'>  ^    ■hi'lfU-  Vil  ■->.•!!   ' 


APPENDIX. 


.J.  i>i 


>i 


'A' 


>.'">': 


i. 


fi  ,ji-iii,//''.ii.ii/ 


lU.'.J   'J^l  ! 


The  adoption  of  the  pale-fiices  as  a  compliment  for  distinguished 
services,  or  as  a  token  of  esteem,  ha^  always  been  usual  among  the 
Indian  tribes.  Dr.  Cadvallader  Colden  was  adopted  by  the  Mo- 
hawks. The  late  duke  of  Northumberland,  who  served  as  Lord 
Percy  in  the  AuiOrican  Revolution,  was  created  a  chief  of  the  Six 
Nations  through  the  influence  of  Joseph  Brant,  with  whom  he  was 
on  terms  of  warm  friendship.  lYashington  Irving  waa  adopted  into 
the  Huron  clan,  a  few  years  before  his  death  ;  and  the  late  General 
Peter  B.  Porter  was  long  a  chief  of  the  Senecas  by  adoption. 
Edmund  Kean,  the  tragedian,  was  also  adopted  by  the  Hurons  of 
Loretto  near  Quebec. 

In  January,  1844,  the  late  Colonel  Wm.  L.  Stone  waa  adopted  by 
the  Senecas,  at  a  formal  council,  as  a  chief  of  that  nation.  The 
letter  which  Mr.  Stone  returned  in  reply  to  the  compliment,  shows 
80  much  good  feeling  aa  well  ab  appreciation  of  the  honor,  that  his 
eon  may  be  pardoned  for  introducing  it  in  this  place  in  full. 

"  To  the  Senecas,  dhiefs  and  Warriort  of  the  Seneca  Indians. 

Brothers  :  1  have  been  told  that  at  your  general  council,  held  at 
Cattaraugus,  in  the  Moon  of  Juthoo,  that  is,  in  January  last,  you 
did  me  the  honor  to  make  me  a  chief  of  the  Seneca  nation ;  and  I 
have  read  the  talk  made  by  your  chief  sachem,  Sahdegeoyes,  at 
that  time.  I  know  by  the  histories  which  the  white  men  have 
written,  and  by  the  traditions  preserved  by  the  belts  hung  up  in 
your  council  house,  that  the  Senecas  have  always  been  a  brave 
nation.  When,  many  hundred  moons  ago,  the  Five  Nations  united 
to  be  one  people,  the  Senecas  were  placed  at  the  western  door  of 
their  long  house,  to  guard  it  from  all  the  foes  that  might  come 
from  toward  the  setting  sun.  This  was  done  because  the  Senecas 
never  sleep,  and  because  their  hatchets  were  always  sharp.  To  be 
known  as  a  Seneca,  therefore,  is  an  honor  \yhich  I  accept  with 
pleasure,  .      .       •:  ,.  .        ,  :. 


w 


m 


I" 


•  hi- 


m 

'I 


f  '^ 


I'    ' 


1 


••\; 


ayh    ^ 


}} 


R' 


1        ti 


I J 


542 


LIFE   OF  SItt  WILLIAM   JOHNSON,   BART. 


Brothers :  When  the  first  great  canoe  of  the  white  man  arrived 
at   Man-na-hatch-ta-ninck,    (which    is   now    called     New    York,) 
although    it  created   great  surprise,    the  strangers     were    kindly 
received.     You  gave  them  of  your  venison  to  eat,  and  spread  bea- 
ver  skins  for  them  to  lie  down  upon.     When  the  big  canoe  arrived 
at  Albany,  you  all  resolved  to  take  the  best  care  of  it.     For  this 
purpose  it  was  agreed  to  tie  it  fast  with  a  great  rope  to  one  of  the 
largest  trees  on  the  bank   of  the   rivoi.     Afterward,  fearing  that 
the  wind  would   blow  down  that  tree,  it  was  agreed  to  make  the 
rope  very  long,  and  tie  it  fast  at  the  great  council  fire  at  Onondaga, 
and  the  end  put  under  your  feet,  that  you  might  know  by  its  shak- 
ing if  anything  touched  the  canoe;  in  which  case  you  all  agreed, 
as  one  man,  to  rise  n.p  and  see  what  was  the  matter.     After  this  a 
bond    of   friendship  was  formed   between  you  and  Corker,  the 
governor  of  New  York,  with  which  he  was  so  well  pleased  that  he 
told  you  that  he  would  find  ^0!'.  a  long   silver  chain,  which   would 
neither  break  nor  rust,  to  bind  you  and  the  English   together  in 
brothership,  that  your  people  and  they  should   be  as  of  one  head, 
and  one  heart,  and  one  blood  forever.     After  this  firm  agreement 
was  made,  our  forefathers,  finding  that  it  was  good,  and   forsecing 
many    advantages  that  both  parties  would  reap  from   it,  ordered 
that  if  ever  that  silver  chain  should  become  rusty  in  the  least,  or 
if  it  should   slip  or  break,  it  should  be  immediately  brightened  up 
again,  and  fastened  stronger  at  the  ends.       ;:  >  •     ;  "■>■  -  . 

Brothers :  These  were  the  doings  of  our  wise  forefathers.  But 
it  was  not  so  with  the  French,  who  also  came  across  the  great 
water,  and  paddled  their  canoes  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Cadaracqui. 
They  joined  your  enemies  the  Ottawas,  and  the  other  Indians  liv- 
ing about  Montreal,  and  were  always  on  the  war-path  against  you, 
doing  all  in  their  power  to  drive  you  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 
But  the  Five  Nations  were  brave.  Their  brothers,  the  English, 
gave  them  guns  and  powder,  instead  of  the  bow  and  the  arrow; 
and  the  warriors,  your  forefathers,  after  making  the  country  of  the 
Onondagas  and  Senecs  fat  with  their  blood  when  they  came  against 
you  there,  followed  them  like  the  swift  winds  into  Canada,  and 
made  red  their  own  war-paths  even  down  to  Montreal  and  the 
gates  of  Quebec. 

Brothers :  Many  seasons  afterward,  when  the  old  thirteen  fami- 
lits  of  English  colonies  had  become  men,  and  wished  to  kindle  fires 
and  hunt  venison  for  themselves,  the  king,  who  then  called   him- 


APPENDIX. 


M,. 


>l.i 


543 


self  your  father,  would  not  let  them.  But  ho  had  been  kind  to 
you,  aud  it  was  natural  that  you  should  take  the  hatchet  which  ho 
put  into  your  hands  to  strike  us  on  the  head.  Yet,  although  tho 
blood  of  your  warriors  had  run  like  water  on  the  ground  in  tho 
cause  of  your  pretended  father,  when  he  found  that  he  was  not 
able  to  put  out  the  thirteen  fires,  and  agreed  to  smoke  the  pipe  of 
peace  with  us,  ho  forgot  his  red  children,  and  would  have  left  them 
without  wiping  away  their  tears  and  blood,  or  condoling  with  them 
for  their  dead,  or  leaving  them  so  much  as  a  place  whereon  to 
spread  their  blankets,  or  to  kindle  fires  to  warm  their  old  men, 
their  women,  or  their  little  ones.  Then  it  was  that  your  Great 
Father  General  Washington,  made  a  new  chain  of  friendship  with 
his  red  children,  at  Fort  Stanwix,  one  end  of  which  was  fastened  ': 
at  the  great  council  house  of  the  thirteen  fires,  and  the  other  in 
the  Seneca  country,  because  the  great  fire  at  Onondaga  had  gone 
out.  Your  new  father,  though  a  great  war  chief,  was  nevertheless 
a  lover  of  peace.  He  saw  your  distress,  and  that  you  too  wanted 
peace.  Nor  did  he  wish  to  crowd  you  from  your  seats,  but  left  you 
broad  hunting  grounds  with  game,  and  fields  to  plant  your  corn. 
He  took  the  chiefs,  your  forefathers,  by  the  hand,  and  told  them  to 
use  the  tomahawk  no  more,  but  to  bury  it,  and  plant  a  tree  over  it, 
that  it  might  never  be  dug  up  again.  Brothers,  that  new  covenant 
chain  has  been  kept  strong  and  bright  ever  since,  though  about 
thirty  years  ago  the  king  of  England  tried  to  break  it.  But  you 
kept  fast  hold  of  it,  and  when  his  troops  attempted  to  stop  up  all 
the  roads,  the  Senecas  sent  their  brave  warriors  with  ours  across 
the  Niagara,  and  soon  made  them  open  them  again. 

Brothers  :  The  honor  you  have  conferred  upon  me,  by  making 
me  one  of  your  chiefs,  has  reminded  me  of  these  facts  in  your 
ancient  history,  and  the  old  cove ii  ants  which  have  so  long  subsisted 
between  your  ancestors  and  mine.  Holding  fast  that  covenant 
chain  which  was  made  last,  I  hope  we  may  speak  with  a  free  mind 
to  each  other.  Will  you  open  your  ears,  then,  brothers,  and  listen 
to  a  few  words  more  which  I  have  to  say  ?  .  ,  ;■ 

Brothers:  Listen!  The  Great  Spirit  has  told  us  in  the  Good 
Book  which  he  has  given  his  children,  that  he  has  made  of  one 
blood  all  nations  of  men.  The  red  men  and  the  white  are  all  the 
same  flesh.  And  he  loves  his  red  children  as  well  as  he  does  the 
white.  When  we  are  in  sorrow,  if  we  ask  him,  he  is  always  ready 
to  make  our  hearts  glad.    When  we  are  called  to  weep,  he  will  dry 


I'M 

m 


I- 


If  ' 


■♦■ 


644 


LIFE   OP  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


'M 


rN 


\m 


9'    >' 


i- 


up  our  tcurH.  The  rod  men  and  the  whito  ought  therefore  to  love 
one  another,  and  do  all  the  j^ood  they  cun  to  each  other.  The  fire 
of  amity  tnd  friendship  Hhould  always  blaze  upon  the  hearths  of 
their  council  houseH,  their  ears  should  ever  be  open  to  the  cries  of 
distrefls,  and  the  doors  of  their  lodges  to  the  feet  of  the  stranger. 

Brothtrt:  The  Great  Spirit  gave  the  red  man  a  broad  aud 
boautifnl  country,  with  deep  forests  to  cover  you  from  the  heat  of 
the  sun,  filled  with  game  for  you  to  eat  when  you  were  hungry,  and 
to  clothe  you  in  furs  when  you  were  cold.  He  gave  you  clear 
springs  of  water  to  drink ;  rivers  filled  with  fishes,  bright  lakes  for 
you  to  paddle  your  canoes  upon,  and  flowers  to  make  the  air  sweet 
and  your  paths  beautiful.  But  the  Great  Spirit  did  not  nicun 
that  you  should  always  be  hunters.  The  first  man  he  made  was  a 
red  man,  and  the  first  command  be  gave  him,  after  he  had  sinned 
by  disobedience,  was  to  cultivate  the  ground,  and  to  make  his  con- 
dition better  than  it  would  be  in  a  state  of  nature.  The  birds 
build  their  nests,  and  the  beavers  make  their  dams,  by  instinct. 
But  they  never  do  anything  better  than  they  do  at  first.  They  are 
always  the  same.  To  man,  the  Great  Spirit  has  given  reason.  He 
looks  to  him  for  improvement.  And  he  sent  the  white  man  into 
your  country  to  teach  you  how  to  live  in  a  better  way  than  by 
liunting  and  catching  fish.  He  sent  them  to  instruct  you  how  to 
build  fine  houses  in  the  place  of  your  wigwams,  and  to  plant  fieids, 
and  cultivate  beautiful  gardens,  and  lay  out  orchards  of  delicious 
fruits  ; — to  teach  your  women  to  spin  and  weave  and  sew,  so  that 
you  might  live  comfortably  and  happily  by  your  own  bright  firea, 
with  everything  delightful  around  you.  Above  all,  the  white  man 
came  to  give  you  a  better  knowledge  of  the  Great  Spirit,  to  teach 
you  to  read,  that  you  may  know  what  he  says  to  us,  and  to  v/rite, 
so  that  you  can  breathe  your  thoughts  to  each  other  when  separated. 

Brothers  :  You  have  seen  from  what  1  have  told  you  about  the 
arrival  of  the  first  big  canoe,  and  the  covenant  chain  that  was 
made,  that  the  red  men  were  not  displeased  when  the  white  men 
first  came  among  them.  I  know  that  the  white  men  were  then  few 
and  feeble,  and  that  you  were  many.  Now  they  have  become  like 
the  leaves  on  the  trees,  that  cannot  be  counted,  and  they  have 
pressed  hard  upon  your  seats.  What  is  the  reason  of  this  great 
change  ?  Brothers,  the  white  men  have  grown  rich  and  stronj^  and 
many,  because  they  obey  the  Great  Spirit  in  tilling  the  ground. 
The  earth  is  the  mother  of  the  red  man  and   the  white,  and  if  we 


IP    F 


1,   I 


APmjKUlX.. 


645 


draw  our  sustenance  from  her  brenst,  she  will  bountifully  supply 
us  all  wo  can  desire.  Lot  us  therefore  labor,  that  we  may  live  upon 
her  bounty,  and  -  ..on  weary  "recline  upon  her  bosom." 

Brother$ :  There  are  bad  white  men  as  well  us  bad  Indians.  They 
oft .  "ome  to  you  with  forked  tongues  to  deceive  you,  and  they  put 
tho  fifd-waters  to  your  lipg  to  stupify,  that  they  may  cheat  you. 
But  the  Great  Spirit  is  angry  with  such.  He  did  not  make  the 
fire-waters,  but  gave  you  cool  sweet  springs  to  slake  your  thirst ; 
and  if  you  will  drink  nothing  else,  and  be  industrious,  and  open 
Bchools  for  your  children,  although  your  seat«  are  not  so  broad  as 
they  were  once,  you  may  still  become  happy  and  numerous  like  tho 
white  men. 

Brothers :  I  have  told  you  that  when  the  Great  Spirit  made  man, 
he  placed  him  in  a  beautiful  garden,  to  till  and  dress  it;  and  he 
bouiid  him  to  himself  by  a  golden  chain.  But  the  Spirit  of  Evil 
crept  into  that  garden  in  the  shape  of  a  serpent,  and  contrived  to 
break  that  chain.  The  Great  Spirit  then  sent  his  own  Son  to  make 
it  over,  and  wash  away  the  rust  that  had  got  on  it.  But  the  can- 
ker of  that  rust  was  so  deep  that  it  took  his  own  blood  to  make  it 
bright  again.  Now  we  must  believe  in  that  Son,  and  do  as  he  has 
told  us  in  the  Good  Book  j  and  then,  when  the  faster  of  Breath 
shall  call  for  us,  he  will  take  us  v.p  to  the  fair  hunting  ground-" 
through  clouds  bright  as  fleeces  of  gold,  upon  a  ladder  as  beautiful 
as  the  rainbow,  where  we  shall  live  with  the  Mannitoes — the  hap- 
py spirits — forever ! 

Brothers :  My  talk  is  done.  I  am  proud  to  be  called  a  Seneca, 
to  be  numbered  amon^  .■  people  who  have  raised  such  warriors  -and 
orators  as  Old  Smoke  au  ^  Young  King,  the  Farmer's  Brother,  the 
Corn-Planter,  Sa-go-v^-yrat-ha  and  Captain  Pollard,  and  a  long 
list  of  other  brave  chiefs  whose  namec  1  cannot  remember,  but 
who  have  long  ago  been  called  away  by  the  Grert  Master  of  Breath. 
Brothers  adieu !  May  you  always  possess  your  minds  in  peace. 
I  am,  very  truly,  &c.,  &c. 


To  the  Sachem,  Sahdeoeoyes, 
and  the  Chiefs,  Gaugoo,  and 
Ha-dya-n6-do,  and  ithers. 
iVcw  York,  April  Ifv,  lo44. 


WILLIAM  L.  STONE,  or 
Sa-go-sm-o-taA 


'  Thiit  is,  He  renders  their  name  conspicuQus,— in  otl^er  words  an  historian 
ui'  biographer. 

60 


t 


i^P* 


546 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON 


»RT. 


A  Memorandum  for  Trifle 
Knox- 


h- 


No.  II.     ■    ■       •■ 

lefH  to  Londfm  for^  through   Captain 
■  ir  WilliamJohnton. 
*■  February  19th,  1749-60. 

Two  volumes  quarto  of  Mathematical  Elements  of  Natural 
Philosophy,  confirmed  by  experiments — or  an  introduction  to  Sir 
Isaao  Newton's  Philosophy;  translated  into  English  by  the  late  J. 
T.  Desaguliers. 

Also  the  second  edition  of  Doctor  Desaguliers  Course  of  Experi- 
mental Philosophy,  adorned  with  78  copper  plates,  in  two  Tolumes 
quarto. 

Chambers  Dictionary,  2  volumes. 

Bakers  Microscope  made  easy.  '  ' 

Bhodderiok  Randum. 

The  Gentleman's  Magazine,  from  December  1748  to  the  present 
time. 

The  Family  Magazine,  in  two  parts.  '       •"        ^' 

An  Historical  Review  of  the  Transactions  of  Europe  from  the 
Commencement  of  the  War  with  Spain. 

The  whole  ppoceedings  in  the  house  of  peers  against  the  three 
condemned  lords. 

Amarylis,  a  new  musical  design,  well  bound. 

A  good  French  horn,  with  the  notes. 

A  good  common  hunting  horn.  "'  '    ' 

A  good  loud  trumpet. 

A  dozen  of  good  black  lead  pencils. 

1  lb.  of  best  red  sealing  wax. 

1  lb.  of  black  sealing  wax. 

2  Reams  of  good  common  writing  paper. 
200  lbs.  of  ground  white  lead. 

100  lbs.  of  good  red  lead. 

20  gallons  of  good  linseed  oil. 

A  good  globe  to  hang  in  the  hall  with  light. 

A  prism Some  prints  as — 

Titians  Loves  of  the  Gods, 

Le  Bruns  Battles  of  Alexander. 

Some  numbers  of  Pousin's  Landscapes  by  iSnapton. 

4  Seasons  by  Lancred.  ,    , 

4  Prints  of  a  camp  by  Watteau. 

Some  numbers  of  Houbraken's  heads. 

The  pictures  of  some  of  the  best  running  horses  at  New  Market. 


APPBNDIX. 


64T 


r,  through   Captain 


'horses  at  New  Market, 


>i-M      -J 


r 


•i«i 


Ephrtiim  Williams  v  us  d 
lie  was  ulwa^.i  onlprf'sing. 
Ifie,  he  wa«  brou  s^bt '  ^' 

his  youth,  he  mad'     -evt 
Spain,  and  Hollan 
he  was  made  capta       n 
in  the  western  part  of  t 
After  the  war,  he  had  uu 


•     No.  III.         „  ,!» 

Hfphruitn   Wtllianu.  ''' 

The  fullowing  sketch  of  iIiIp  gallant  oflicer,  is  taken  from  the  Key 
Cortlandt  Van  llenselaer's  nistorical  Discourse  of  the  Battle  Of 
Lake  Gkorqe. 

unded  from  the  best  Puritan  ancestry. 
^ having    lost  his  parents  early  in 

gruiidfather,  Abraham  Jackson.     In 
agev  to  Europe,  visiting   England^ 

k,        iimercial   purposes.     In  1744, 

n  (  immand  of  Fort  Massachusetts, 
mce,  in  the  valley  of  the  Hoosio. 
aportant  agency  in  settleing  that  section 
of  country.  At  the  beginning  of  the  campaign  of  1766,  he  was 
made  colonel,  and  commanded  the  third  Massachusetts  regiment. 
His  aide  was  William  WilUama,  a  signer  of  the  DeoIaratioQ  of  In. 
dependence.  / 

Colonel  Williams,  being  well  versed  in  warfare,  especially  with 
the  Indians,  was  placed  at  the  hcud  of  the  detachment  sent  out 
aguiust  Dieskau's  column.  His  great  error  on  that  day  was  in  not 
sending  out  scouts.  Colonel  Williams  wts  early  struck  with  a  ball 
through  the  head,  and  fell  dead  oi>  the  spot.  Two  of  his  compan- 
ions immediately  concealed  the  body  from  the  soalping-knife  of  the 
advancing  Indians.  His  body  was  found  after  the  battle,  unmuti- 
lated,  and  it  was  buried  some  fifteen  or  twenty  rods  rods  southeast 
of  where  he  fell,  at  the  foot  of  "  a  huge  pine  beside  the  military 
road."  About  twenty  years  ago,  his  nephew,  Dr.  William  H. 
Williams,  of  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  "  diseuterred  and  carried  off 
the  skull."  The  ancient  pine  has  fallen,  but  the  stump  remains. 
Two  smaller  trees  have  sprung  from  the  parent  stock,  and  still 
Hlmde  the  place  of  burial.  E.  W.  B.  Canning,  Esq.,  who  super- 
intended the  erection  of  the  monument  on  the  part  of  the  alumni 
of  Williams  college,  and  who  explored  the  ground  carefully,  says : 
"  Directed  by  an  aged  man,  who  dug  up  the  skull,  I  found  the 
i^ruvc,  and  had  it  refilled,  and  a  large  pyramidal  bowlder  set  QVei; 
it,  with  the  inscription  E.  W.  1755." 

The  rock  on  which  Colonel  Williams  fell  is  now  surmounted  by 
a  narble  monument,  twelve  feet  high.  The  earth  has  been  exca- 
vated a  little  around  the  rock,  so  that  the  top  of  the  rock  is  now 


r: 


•m. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


<i^^^   ^j 


1.0 


I.I 


"^1^  IIIIM 

ISO    "^^      IIIII^HI 

■^  1^    III  2.2 

S:  i:s  IIIIIM 


1.8 


1.25     1.4      16 

* 6"     

► 

V] 


7^ 


7: 


% 


/> 


V 


//a 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


i\ 


«^ 


:\ 


^^ 


\ 


^^ 


<^  -?>, 


6\ 


<^ 


» 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


'^^  4^ 


4^ 


L6> 


;V 


% 


Us 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART. 


Jv\ 


■even  feet  from  the  ground  The  monument  was  erected  by  the 
■  alumni  of  Williams  College,  in  1854,  and  is  an  appropriate,  tajste- 
'  ful  and  worthy  memorial.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  good  iron  fence, 
which  visitors  find  the  means  of  climbing.  The  writer,  without 
recommending  others  to  follow  his  example,  went  up  to  the  monu. 
ment  for  the  purpose  of  copying  the  inscription ;  and  as  he  now 
gives  the  inscriptions  verbatim  el  literatim,  this  historical  motive 
cannot  be  so  well  plead  hereafter.  The  inscriptions  were  copied 
exactly  according  to  the  words  in  the  lines,  and  the  division  of 
syllables,  as  cut  upon  the  marble,  but  they  are  here  given  continu- 
ously, partly  to  save  space,  and  partly  to  avoid  the  exhibition  of 
an  unskillfVil  performance,  for  the  words  and  syllables  are  arranged 
(at  least  on  two  sides  of  the  monument)  in  not  the  most  tasteful 
style.  This  is  a  matter  of  regret.  I  notice  it  simply  to  put  the 
Lake  George  Committee  of  Monuments  upon  their  guard,  and  to 
induce  them  to  see  that  the  stonecutter  had  a  fac-simile  of  the 
work  to  be  done.  The  beauty  of  a  monumental  inscription  depcrida 
very  much  on  the  arrangement  of  the  lines  and  of  the  words. 

The  following  inscription  is  on  the  eaat  side  of  the  monument, 
towards  the  plank  road : 

To  the  memory  of  Colonel  Ephbaim  Williams.  A  native  of 
Newton,  Mass.,  who  after  gallantly  defending  the  frontiers  of  his 
native  state,  served  under  General  Johnson  against  the  French  and 
Indians,  and  nobly  fell  near  this  spot  in  the  bloody  conflict  of 
Sept.  8th,  1755,  in  the  42  year  of  his  age. 

On  the  north  side,  towards  the  lake  :     « '<*'^'":  '^*  «  i  "     ' 

A  lover  of  peace  and  learning,  as  courteous  and  generous  as  he 
was  brave  and  patriotic.  Col.  Williams  sympathized  deeply  with 
the  privations  of  the  frontier  settlers,  and  by  his  will,  made  at 
Albany  on  his  way  to  the  field  of  battle,  provided  for  the  founding 
among  them  of  an  institution  of  learning,  which  has  since  been 
chartered  as  Williams  college.  •...  .^.,.., 

On  the  west  side,  towards  the  old  road : 

Forti  ao  magnanimo  Eph.  Williams,  Collegii  Gulielmi  Conditori ; 
Qui  in  hostibus  patriae  repellendis,  prope  hoc  saxum  cecidit ;  grati 
alumni  posuerunt,  A.  D.  1864.         °^^      "«   .....^v.^      .  wi    .tv; 

On  the  souA  side,  towards  the  toll-gate  : 

This  monument  is  erected  by  the  alumni  of  Williams  College : 
the  ground  donated  by  E.  H.  Rosekrans,  M.  W.  Perrine,  J.  Havi- 


JART. 

8  erected  by  the 
appropriate,  tsAte- 
a  good  iron  fenoc, 
e  writer,  without 
t  up  to  the  monu. 
;  and  as   he  now 

historical  motive 
tions  were  copied 
i  the  division  of 
lere  given  continu- 

the  exhibition  of 
llables  are  arranged 

the  most  tasteful 

simply  to  put  the 
their  guard,  and  to 
I  fac-simile  of  the 
inscription  deperid* 
I  of  the  words. 

of  the  monument, 

AM8.     A  native  of 

ie  frontiers   of  his 

inst  the  French  and 

bloody  conflict  of 

ind  generous  as  he 
bhized  deeply  with 
1^  his  will,  made  at 
ed  for  the  founding 
ch  has  since  been 


Gulielmi  Conditori ; 
axum  cecidit ;  grati 


'  Williams  College : 
7.  Perrine,  J.  Havi- 


.mm  ,^«c>«Ha  APPENDIX.  «^9  'w,  stii^ 


549 


The  monument  makes  a  beautiful  appearenoe  from  the  road,  and 
is  looked  for  and  admired  by  all  travelers.  The  monument  is  more 
accessible  from  the  old  road  than  from  the  new ;  but  the  old  road 
is  not  in  a  very  good  condition,  although  it  can  be  used. 

Joseph  White  Esq.,!  thus  sums  up  the  traits  of  Colonel  Wil- 
liams character : — "  For  Whatever  is  known  of  his  opinions,  as  well 
as  of  his  personal  appearance,  habits  and  manners,  we  are  indebted 
to  the  impressions  he  made  upon  his  contemporaries,  as  revealed 
in  the  scanty  notices  of  the  times  and  in  the  few  traditions  that 
yet  linger  amongst  us.''  From  these  we  learn  that  his  "  person 
was  large  and  fleshy,"  his  countenance  benignant,  and  his  appear- 
ance commanding ;  that  he  loved  and  excelled  in  the  rough  games 
of  agility  and  strength  so  common  in  bis  day,  and  often  engaged 
in  them  with  his  soldiers  during  the  intervals  of  duty ;  that  his 
"  address  was  easy,  his  manners  simple  and  conciliatory ;"  that  ho 
loved  books,  and  the  society  of  literary  men,  "  and  often  lamented 
the  want  of  a  liberal  education ;"  that  to  these  endowments  were 
added  the  higher  qualities  of  mind — quick  and  clear  perceptions,  a 
solid  judgment,  a  lofty  courage,  and  an  unwavering  constancy  in 
scenes  of  danger,  and  that  military  genius  which  needed  only  a 
fitting  opportunity  to  place  him  in  the  highest  walks  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  knew  both  how  to  command  and  to  conciliate  the 
afieotions  of  his  men.  "  He  was  greatly  beloved  by  them  while 
living,  and  lamented  when  dead."  And,  finally,  in  the  language 
of  Colonel  Worthington,  who  knew  him  well,  "  Humanity  made  a 
most  striking  trait  in  his  character,  and  universal  benevolence  was 
his  ruling  passion."  He  truly  adds,  "  His  memory  will  always  be 
dear." 


;.\i><i  ■itjTiMr- 


■V- 


if^i-r' 


No.  IV. 
Kir^  JBendrik. 


Although  this  great  sachem  has  been  called  a  Jttohawk,  yet  his 
family  was  Mohegan,  and  he  himself  only  a  Mohawk  by  adoption. 
According  to  his  own  statement  his  father  lived  in  the  first  years 
of  his  (Hendrik's)   life,  at  Westfield  in  Connecticut.     The  exact 

» "Joseph  White'8  address  before  the  alumni  of  Williams  College,  1856, 
commemoratiTe  of  Ephraim  Willtame  abounds  in  historical  incident  and 
eloquent  discription.  I  am  indebted  to  this  address  for  the  biographical 
hints  of  Colonel  Williams  in  the  beginning  of  this  sketch,  and  also  for  other 
items  of  information." 


< 


/^ 


in      .  LIFB  Of  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,  BART. 

time  of  hU  birth  U  not  known,  though  it  is  boliovikl  to  havo  been 
between  the  ye»ra  1680  and  1090.  Kqually  diffioult  ia  it,  to  aioor- 
tain  at  what  time  he  moved  into  the  Mohawk  valley.  Ilia  uaual 
residence  however,  during  the  latter  portion  of  hia  life  was  in  the 
present  town  of  Minden,  in  Her>'imer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  near  the 
Upper  or  Canigoharie  oastlu  Tho  site  of  his  house  ia  dMoribed 
by  Dr.  Dwight,  as  being  a  ^'  handaomo  elevation,  commanding  a 
considerable  prospect  of  the  neighboring  country."  Sir,  School- 
cral^  in  his  NoU*  of  the  Iro^uoit  thus  speaks  of  him : 

"  There  was  a  time  in  our  sottlemonts  whon  thoro  was  a  morttl 
force  in  the  name  of  King  Ilcndrik  and  his  Mohawks,  which  hnd 
an  electric  effect ;  and  at  tho  time  ho  diod,  his  loss  was  widely  and 
deoply  folt  and  lamented  oven  in  Great  Britain.  It  is  said  that  ho 
on  two  oooasiouB  visited  his  British  sovereign.  On  one  of  tliotio 
occasions,  doubtless  the  last,  which  is  conjectured  to  have  boon 
about  the  year  1740,  his  majesty  presented  him  a  rich  suit  of 
clothes, — a  green  coat,  set  off  with  brussels  and  gold  lace,  liud  a 
cocked  hat,  such  as  worn  by  the  court  gentry  of  that  period.  lu 
these  he  sat  for  his  portrait,  which  was  executed  by  a  London 
artist.  From  this  portrait,  which  has  no  date,  ^ugrnvinga  wore 
made,  of  a  large  oabinQt-sise,  and  colored  in  conformity  with  tho 
original.  I  saw  one  of  these  engravings  in  the  family  of  a  relative 
in  Schenectady,  which  has,  however,  been  long  since  destroyed  by 
fire;  and  recently  I  have  seen  another,  vhiuh  had  been,  for  nearly 
a  century,  the  property  of  Jeremiah  Lansing  £|sq,  of  Albany,  N.  Y- 
The  prosr'  loal  indicia  of  his  countenance  denote  a  kind  dis 
position.  .sty  of  purpose,  and  an  or<^er  of  intellect  much 

aliove  mediocrity.  Althou^^h  his  complexion  was  the  "  shadowed 
livery  of  the  burning  sun,"  his  figure  and  countenance  were  sin- 
gularly prepossessing  and  commanding.  The  concurrent  testimony 
of  every  traditionist  awards  to  him  great  natural  talents,  judg- 
ment, and  sagacity.  As  a  diplomatist  and  orator  he  was  greatly 
distinguished,  and  divided  the  palm  only  with  his  brother  Abra- 
ham, of  pious  memory,  who  was  exclusively  devoted  t6  civil  pur- 
suits."    !^^--_i,ryai;«satt*>fJ--*i|it4>SiJ.«iW 

Hendrik's  most  famous  speech  was  the  one  delivered  at  tho  con- 
gress in  Albany,  1764.  It  excited  at  the  time  universal  attention, 
both  in  America  and  in  England.  In  reference  to  it,  a  journaliBt 
of  that  day  says  :  "  For  capacity,  bravery,  vigor  of  mind  and  im- 
movable integrity  combined,  ho  excelled   all  tho  aboriginal  inhsb 


yf*fl^^. 


;  ' 


juniitk  ,M      APPBNUX.     **w  m  nfux 


561 


iUhta  of  whtoh  wo  havo  any  knowlodge."  llondrlk  wm  ((uito  ik 
Hon  in  liis  dky,  and  hid  spirit  and  martial  puwora  woro  upon 
every  tongue.  Ho  wkh  also  oatoorood  the  bravoat  cT  tho  bravo 
among  tho  Troquoia."  Ho  lod  many  war  partioa  ngainat  tho 
Canadian  fVontior  in  tho  old  Fronoh  and  Indian  war;  and  hia 
staunch  IViondahip  fbr  Sir  William  Johnaon,  oaunod  him  to  uao  hia 
groat  influonoo  to  keep  tho  Six  Nationa,  enpooially  the  Mohawka. 
faithfVil  to  their  oovonanta.  Indeed,  many  timea,  had  it  not  boon 
for  hia  offortii,  tho  entire  Oonfbdoraoy  would  have  probably  broken 
through  all  restraint  and  gone  over  to  tho  Fronoh.  Uo  died 
lamented  by  many,  and  by  no  one  more  than  by  Sir  Wm.  Johnaon. 
Judge  Campbell  in  hia  AnnuU  0/  Ttyon  Cmnty  haa  proHorvod 
tho  following  anoodoto  illustrativo  of  tho  iViondahip  that  tho 
Qroat  Mohawk  waa  capable  of  inspiring  in  tho  hoarta  of  tho  whitua 
towarda  himaolf : — '*  During  some  of  tho  uogotintioua  with  tho 
Indiana  of  Ponnaylvania  and  tho  inhabitants  of  that  atnto,  lIon< 
drik  waa  present  at  Philadelphia.  Ilia  likonoHH  was  takun,  and  a 
wax  figure  aftorward  made  which  waa  a  vory  good  imitation.  Aflor 
tho  death  of  Ilondrik  an  old  fViond,  a  white  man,  visited  IMiiludol- 
phia,  and  among  other  thinga  was  shown  this  wax  figure.  It  occu- 
pied a  nioho,  and  waa  not  observed  by  him  until  he  had  approached 
within  a  fow  feet.  The  Ariendship  of  former  days  camo  fVosh  over 
his  memory,  and  forgetting  for  tho  moment  llondrik'a  doath,  ho 
rushed  forward  and  olasped  in  his  arms  tho  frail  icy  imago  of  tho 
ohieilain." 

The  famous  atory  of  Sir  William  Johnson's  dreaming  with  King 
Hendrik  fof  the  royal  grant,  or  indeed  for  any  other  poioe  of  land, 
is  a  pure  fiotion.    See  chapter  xvi,  vol.  11. 


iKKii'*.>x.«  nu 


■  '.  I  V 


>  \*i*i  %-f3 


■f  ,w>it-ii 


■t#;>  ■«  '5»-tt*  !»»■'»■ 


■  J  1  ;■)  , 


No.  V. 

Map  of  Battle  of  Lake  Oeorge 

^!  Referenoea  to  map  on  opposite  page.   . nfi  1  .^.v>« 

'^  First  Engagtment. — 1.  The  road.     2.  The  French  and  Indiana 

8.  Hendrik  on   horseback.    4.  Our    men.    5.  Our  Indians  far 

within  the  ambuscade. 


■J  i  i.fi.... . 


W  8«eotid  Engagtmmi.-—^.  Oanadians  and  French  Indians.  7. 
Dieskau's  regulars  making  the  attack  on  the  centre.  8.  Tho  road. 
9.  Our  men  in  the  action  posted  in  front.  10.  The  trees  felled  for 
the  breastworks.     11.  Three  of  tho  largo  cannon.     12.  Onoofthe 


/#■ 


n 


652 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


y 


m 


cannon  posted  '*  advantageously"  on  the  eminence.  13,  14, 15, 16. 
Illustrating  the  attack  on  the  right ;  particulars  not  known.  17, 
The  guards  on  the  flanks  and  rear.  18.  Woods  and  swamp.  19. 
Low  ground  near  the  lake.  20.  Gannon  defending  flanks  and  rear. 
21.  Baggage-wagons.  22,  28,  24.  Military  stores  and  ammuni- 
tion. 25.  Mortars.  26.  Road  to  the  lake.  27.  Bateaux  on  Lake 
George.  28.  Four  Storehouses.  29.  Storehouse.  80.  Iroquois 
Indians.  81.  General  Johnson's  tent.  82.  Major-General  Ly- 
man's regiment.  83.  Colonel  Harris's  regiment.  84.  Colonel 
Cookoroft's  regiment.  85.  Colone)  Williams's,  now  Colonel  Fom- 
roy's  regiment.  86.  Colonel  Buggles's  regimept,  87.  Colonel 
Titoomb's  regimen^  88.  Colonel  Gpttridge'is  regiment.  89. 
Officers.  .. 

The  heading  of  the  map  is  not  quite  accurate  in  the  number  of 
troops  stated  to  be  engaged  on  botb  sides,  and  is  quite  inaccurate 
in  the  number  stated  to  be  killed  on  the  side  of  the  French.  , 


I 


No,  VI.    {jj>Atar  irmt'-' 

Powder  Horn:  "e  '^^■ 


Ttirough  the  kindness  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Ballard  of  Bmnswick, 
Me.,  Secretary  of  the  Maine  Historical  Society,  I  am  enabled  to 
give  on  the  opposite  page  a  fac-simile  of  perhaps  the  only  skctcli 
of  Fort  Wm.  Henry  in  existence.  The  Sketch  was  carved  on  a 
powder-horn  by  a  Provincial  doing  garrison  duty  at  the  fort 
in  October,  1756.  The  horn  was  presented  to  the  Maine  Histori- 
cal Society  in  January,  1864,  by  the  Hon.  Wm  P.  Haines,  of  Bid- 
deford,  Me.,  who  at  the  time  of  its  presentation;  accompanied  it 
with  an  exceedingly  interesting  paper,  relating  to  its  history.  Mr. 
Haines,  who  deserves  great  credit  for  his  instrumentality  in  rescu- 
ing this  interesting  relic  from  oblivion,  courteously  sent  me  a  copy 
of  this  paper,  from  which  I  take  a  few  extracts. 

"Recently  I  learned  that  Tristram  GoldthwaitE8q.,an  esteemed 
oitizen  of  Biddeford  and  once  its  representative,  h»d  ip  his  posses- 
sion a  powder  horn  which  had  a  history*  At  my  request  he 
brought  it  to  me,  and  now  permits  me  to  deliver  it  to  the  Maine 
Historical  Society  for  safe-keeping  and  inspection  of  the  curious, 
and,  to  use  his  precise  words,  probably  never  to  be  reclaimed  by 
him.  He  informs  me  that  it  was  delivered  to  him  as  the  male 
Representative  of    the   original   owner,   and    came   down  in   the 


family. 


>f.        .ittl,i.i»r".-    .>:.f.>rf^  TO.**    kti  !ff^iii;k.-   •■*.■%       .."^i'iHfmaii'iti  'jii- 


,ce.  18,14,15,16. 
>B  not  known.  17. 
8  and  swamp.  19. 
ding  flanks  and  rear, 
tores  and  ammuni- 
7.  Bateaux  on  Lake 
ouse.  80.  Iroquois 
Major-General  Ly- 
iment.  34.  Colonel 
,  now  Colonel  Pom- 
;imept,  37.  Colonel 
;e'9    regiment.     39. 


lUard  of  Brunswick, 
y,  I  am  enabled  to 
ips  the  only  sketcli 
ih  was  carved  on  a 
»n  duty  at  the  fort 
»  the  Maine  Histori- 
n  P.  Haines,  of  Bid- 
ation;  accompanied  it 
ig  to  its  history.  Mr. 
rumentality  in  rescu- 
sously  sent  me  a  copy 
ts. 

?ait  Esq.,  an  esteemed 

ve,  had  ip  his  posses- 

At  my  request  he 

iver   it  to   the  Maine 

3tion   of  the   curious, 

r  to  be  reclaimed  by 

to  him  as  the  male 

came   down  in  the 


-rtftjff    ".^fttfK^    nut} 


till  '•..  .'i 

-HI  M  >     •■  I  u"  .•  : 


-•tl- 


^ji.ia    ui  U!»il?  ■>■    ^ 


■•i%:t:ivtj. 


i»0iJ  '  .il.'-Ulft  ■Ji)^ 


r-.',-9 


'■  V 


•  flMTrt 


f    '.it.'.  .'  w     ,  C  j    I  •  1 '.  •  1 


4 


lit  in  V  (,i«f  >I 

<Ht>  i»»  'I'Uiri'jq  vim, 


T!;>  nfd>  «-i..aH  ■ni-'t'jl  ».i»rp 

4,.  ,  "      ,      ,  ;   ..'flit    Jrt^f    'iJ 

.ViiPsj^aJ'l  S(«*jv.ivAi\.,  jft>.w\\)'fj  ><!,   ' 


554 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WILLUM  JOHNSON,   BART. 


y 


upon  inspection  it  will  b«  notioed  that  this  powder  horn  bears 
upon  its  face  on  the  right,  a  well-oarved  and  spirited  sketch  of 
Fort  William  Henry  at  the  head  of  Lake  George.  Showing  the 
outlines  of  the  fort  and  its  guua  mounted,  its  barracks,  lofty  flag- 
staff, and  at  the  top  the  English  ensign  unfolded  to  the  breeze,  and 
over  against  it,  on  the  left,  an  island  in  the  lake  [Tea  Island],  and 
between  these,  a  sloop  being  towed  by  a  boat  well-maned  to  the 
island,  over  the  rough  waters  of  ^he  lake. 

Beneath  is  the  following  inscription  oarved  in  beautiful  letters, 
which  are  in  perfect  preservation. 

"  Michael  B.  Goldthwait's  horn,  1756,  at  Fort  Wm.  Henry,  Octo- 
ber 2,  A.D.". 
*  ♦  *  *        V|| '        *  *  .;  ■ 

It  was  precisely  at  this  period,  October  second  1756,  the  date  of 
this  inscription,  midway  between  the  building  of  the  fort  in  the 
autumn  of  1755,  and  its  destruction  in  17^7,  that  the  interei^i<ig 
relic  before  us  was  fashioned  by  its  owser  into  the  form  in  which 
it  is  now  presented  to  us  !  A  humble  soldier,  on  duty  at  the  fort, 
in  his  moments  of  leisure,  ttrns  artist,  and  with  lis  rustic  knife, 
gives  us  an  animated  aatid  truthful  outline  of  the  aCene  then  in  his 
eye,  the  winding  shore,  the  waters  of  the  beautiful  lake,  the  island, 
the  headland  surmounted  by  the  foft,  aad  floatiitg  over  all  the 
glorious  flag  of  England,  and  thus  daguetrotypes  ifor  posterity,  the 
only  picture  in  existence  of  objects  of  so  nmoh  historical  interest  I 

\        NcVn.  ^,  ^:4> 

Manuscript  Letter  No.  /J  !• 

This  letter  bears  this  endorsement  in  the  Baronet's  hand. 
"  Alderman  Baker's  letter  about  my  money  in  the  funds,"  and  is 
as  follows : 
"  Sir  William  Johnson  Baronet. 

Sir. 

"  I  have  no  letter  from  you  since  I  wro(«  the  original  of  the 
foregoing.  I  have  received  from  Mr.  John  Pownall  the  money 
which  he  received  from  the  exchequer  being  clear  of  fees,  &c., 
£4945,  ISs.y  Qd.  You  have  the  partionlam  annext  which  I  have 
extracted  from  Mr.  Pownall's  letter  to  me.  I  have  invested  this 
money  as  near  as  I  well  could  in  three  per  cent  bank  annuities 


^W 


'  LoKbbk  81st  March,  1757. 


}^ 


D  beautiful  letters, 
Wm.  Henry,  Octo- 


;•■'■■      •  .        ■<   . 

APPENDIX.  555 

whiob  now  stand  in  my  name  and  cost  you  £4048,  2«.,  fid.,  being 
the  purchase  of  £5500,  capital  in  said  fund  of  which  the  particu- 
lars are  annext.  I  have  been  extremely  hurried  of  late,  otherwise 
you  should  have  had  the  advices  sooner.  Now  I  have  only  to  add 
that  I  am : 

"  Sir 

"  Your  most  humble  Serv't 

"WM.  BAKER." 
• 
An  account  of  money  reoeiyed  by  John  Pownall  Esq.  for 

Sir  William  Johnson  granted  by  parliament, £5000:00:0 

Fees  at  the  treasury  for  the  warrant  order  , 

and  letter £8:04:6     > 

Fees  at  the  exchequer,  vis.  pills,  4:07 

Tellers  and  poundage, 148:10 

Auditor, 9:07        167:04       166:08:6 

£4834:11:6 

Received  at  the  Erohequer  poundage  remitted,  £125:0 

Deduct  fees  at  the  treasury  for  that  order, 1:1        123:19:0 

£4958:10:6 
Paid  for  Sir  Wm.  Johnson's  appointment  to  be  Agent 

for  Indian  affairs 12:12.0 

£4945:18:6 

Received  for  Sir  Wm.  Johnson  and  transferred  for  his  account 
into  the  name  of  Wm.  Bakor  £6500  bank  three  per  cent  annus- 
ties,  via:  >       ^  - 

£4000  transferred  by  Theodoie  Crowley  at    89 J  p.c.  £3670. 
1500  Wm.  Colsford  89i  p.c.     1338:15 

Paid  I.  Shipston  broker  »  i  p.c.  on  £6500 6:17:6. 

My  commission  i  p.c.  on    do , 27:10. 

£4943:2:6" 


,^f>»»f0^"^ 


